Hillsborough County's (Fla.) Fire Rescue team has four new brush fire trucks in time for the height of wildfire season. The new trucks are built on a four-door Ford F-550 chassis, according to a press release. The trucks replace older, less capable brush trucks that have reached the end of their operational capacity.
They were designed based on Hillsborough County's specifications to take into account the county's unique terrain, making them unique to the county alone.
They were designed based on Hillsborough County's specifications to take into account the county's unique terrain, making them unique to Hillsborough County alone.
The trucks are four-wheel-drive capable, able to tackle sugar sand, palmetto scrubs, and everything else firefighters might encounter. Each truck has a front turret, ground sweeps, and dual whip lines.
The dual whip lines can be operated by firefighters inside the back seat of the trucks to extinguish brush fires while the vehicle is moving. This is safer for the firefighters because it is dangerous to walk in sand and potentially step in holes or trip on scrub roots, according to the press release.
The trucks were purchased for $186,434 each via a cooperative contract administered by the Florida Sheriffs Association (FSA) and Florida Association of Counties (FAC).
