Wildfire fighting all-terrain prototype arrives in the North Okanagan
24 May 2022
Published by: https://globalnews.ca
CANADA – It could be the latest tool available to fight wildfires in difficult terrain. A final prototype of an all-terrain vehicle and water carrying machine stopped in the North Okanagan on Saturday for a demonstration.
This was one of several stops that the vehicle has made across North America.
This type of track vehicle is already in use by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Army. Engineers at a Canadian-based company, UTV International believe these track vehicles could be very useful for fighting wildfires in difficult terrain.
“I partnered up with a consultant. Turns out instead of just him being a firefighter for 25 years he was actually building fire trucks for 20,” said UTV International engineer Erik Paldy.
The firefighter and fire-engine designer is B.C. based Tony Jumeau, who was eager to step in to help design the unique machine.
“One of the things that I saw personally was a lot of trucks getting stuck in soft surface type areas. I knew there was definitely a home for track vehicles,” said Jumeau.
The ATV has several unique features, including how it is powered.
“It’s a diesel engine made into a generator. That generator charges a battery and that’s what we use for sending the power to the electric motors in each track system,” said Paldy.
According to engineers, the electric motors give the vehicle the torque it needs to climb steep hills.
Beyond that, it’s equipped with a myriad of firefighting tools including an almost 7,600 litre water tank and its own suppression system.
“It’s an ultra-high pressure, we use up to 1500 psi and we can actually use it for cutting root systems and getting right into those areas that are very hard to get,” said Jumeau.
Tony Clayton, Lumby and District Fire Department chief said he sees value in the new technology and that these vehicles could be used anywhere in British Columbia.
The estimated value of the machines is $900,000.
