Brush Trucks
Grass, field, or brush fires are a somewhat common occurrence during the Spring, Summer, & Fall in rural areas. Using a large engine or tanker to fight these fires is often difficult and cumbersome. A smaller, more easily maneuverable four wheel drive vehicle is usually preferred because the areas where these fires often occur are either tightly confined trails, muddy fields or both.
The Summerfield Township Volunteer Fire Department owns two vehicles which are primarily used to fight these types of fires.
Brush-7
Purchased for $105,000 in 1994 from Fire Attacker, Brush-7 is a modified Hummer. This truck has a 6.5 liter diesel engine. It contains a 200 gallon tank with an on board foam system. The truck is equiped with two spray nozzels attached to the front bumper which allow the vehicle to extinguish field fires by simply driving through them. A 150 foot 1 inch hoseline is used as the primary fire fighting tool in areas where the truck cannot drive.
Brush-7 can seat 4 fire fighters. A small, garden hose sized line is located in the back seat. This allows an occupant of one of the rear seats to spray fires while the truck drives near to them. For fires which cannot be reached by being driven over or using the main hoseline, fire fighters can don an "Indian Pack". An indian pack is a water bladder shaped like a vest. Once in place on the fire fighter, the pack is filled with water through a hole on the back. The fire fighter then walks to the fire, usually located in a wooded area, and sprays the fire using a hand operated spray nozzel. The weight of the water filled vest, combined with the heavy gear that fire fighters normally wear can be very cumbersome. But indian packs are a valuable tool for fighting fires in otherwise unreachable areas. Lastly, all grass/brush trucks are equiped with heavy bristled brooms and shovels for putting out small flames.
Brush-10
Brush-10 is a 1985 Chevrolet 1/2 ton four wheel drive pickup truck. It can seat 2 or 3 fire fighters. The truck was formerly operated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and was purchased from that agency in 2003 for just $1. It was then equiped with a 250 gallon tank. Like Brush-7, Brush-10 has two spray nozzels attached to the front bumper, allowing it to extinguish some fires by simply driving through them. Brush-10 is also equipped with two 100 foot 1 inch hoselines.
While Brush-10 does not carry any indian packs, it's brooms and shovels can be used to extinguish flames in difficult to reach areas.