A short name for a tall list of design breakthroughs.
Shorter, lighter, lower center of gravity, sharper turning radius, increased agility—it sounds like a to-do list created by engineers from a major auto manufacturer. Except this isn’t a passenger car or the latest crossover SUV. It’s Pierce’s new PUC, an acronym for Pierce Ultimate Configuration.
The PUC isn’t a single piece of hardware, nor a lone accessory. Rather, it’s a whole new vehicle layout—a bumper-to-bumper rethink—that allows fire-and-rescue apparatus to carry more equipment on a smaller, more maneuverable, pump-and-roll platform.
The patent-pending PUC design begins with the pumphouse. Traditional pumps are mounted amidships, driven by a split shaft off the transmission. That has always meant that four or five feet of real estate was consumed just by the pumphouse. The PUC’s pump, on the other hand, is driven off the engine’s flywheel—a rear engine power take-off. That, in turn, has allowed the pump housing to be moved far forward, above the frame rails and under the cab’s seat-box area.
“The pump drive system is simple,” says Kevin Day, Fleet Services Manager for Oregon’s award-winning Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue, “and it eliminates the need for additional drivetrain components used in traditional transfer-case designs. It saves weight, reduces drivetrain stress and, theoretically, reduces fuel consumption during pumping operations.”
Day’s department, having purchased their first Pierce product in 1980, now operates a total of 80 response vehicles serving 418,000 citizens. The department’s Apparatus Committee, consisting of AOs, firefighters, officers and mechanics, has overseen the purchase of nine PUC pumpers. Six units have been delivered; three of those have already been introduced into service. Three more PUCs are scheduled for delivery next spring.
Moving the pumphouse forward and downward accrued other benefits. For one thing, the pump’s position lowered the truck’s center of gravity, which made for more nimble handling. “As urban density increases, and streets and cul-de-sacs become more congested,” says Day, “maneuverability is a real consideration.”
The far-forward pump also freed up as much as 30 percent extra storage space—up to 500 cubic feet—while simultaneously reducing the pumper’s wheelbase by as much as 18 inches. Day says his current 187-inch-wheelbase PUCs can carry more gear than the 212-inch-wheelbase pumpers they’ve replaced. “All of our medical equipment can now be located in one compartment,” he points out. “If the unit carries a full complement of extrication tools, we can now place it in the compartment more ergonomically for the crews.”
The PUC is designed for easy maintenance. All of the pump’s plumbing and valving are mounted on top. “Accessibility is greater than any of our previous pumps,” Day says. “The time it takes to access valves and connections has been significantly reduced.” Because all Pierce pumpers have tilt-forward cabs, access is superb. “Any maintenance or repair can be performed at ground level, rather than on overhead lifts,” he adds.
On traditional pumpers, the area reserved for crosslays was usually atop the pumphouse. But with the PUC’s pump moved forward, the crosslays have been relocated between the cab and the truck’s body, and they’ve been lowered to chest height. “Lower crosslays are easier to shoulder and easier to reload,” Day notes. Ladders, stokes baskets, and backboards are also far lower, as is the hosebed. “Firefighters risk injury to their knees and backs when shouldering a hose load and stepping off the tailboard,” Day continues. “The PUC body has a hosebed height nearly 11 inches lower than our previous pumper’s body. We anticipate that most of our firefighters should be able to shoulder the load from the ground.”
What’s more, the PUC’s pump uses a large clutch that electrically engages the impeller, so putting the pump into gear no longer induces that awful grinding. And it’s a quick two-step process. “The apparatus engineer need only apply the parking brake and activate the pump drive,” Day says.
Pump panels are available in side-or top-mount positions, with the operator standing next to hose connections instead of over them. “The inlets and discharge ports are low and easy to connect,” Day adds, “and the pump panel is laid out in an intuitive manner, with easy-to-use controls. In addition, the pumper’s exhaust stack is vertical, directed up and away from ground level operations, which also reduces noise at the pump panel.”
All PUCs are true pump-and-roll designs, crucial for fighting a moving wildfire or for when you simply need to reposition the pumper for a better angle of attack. Since its introduction 18 months ago, the PUC has already accounted for more than 200 new Pierce orders. It is available on all Pierce custom chassis.
BY JOHN PHILLIPS
John Phillips has been writing about cars since 1974, is the author of two books, and has been an editor at Car and Driver for 20 years.