Syracuse Mini-Pumper History

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In the 1960's, the City of Syracuse, NY found itself in the same situation as many other American cities - it was growing, but changing. The fire department that had served it so well since 1877 found itself challenged by the changes. The SFD consisted at the time of 21 engine companies and 8 trucks utilizing many apparatus dating back to the late 1940s and early 1950s. These were, in the case of the engines, predominantly either American LaFrance or Seagrave 1000 gpm units. The trucks were similarly either American LaFrance or Seagrave 100' mid-mounts. Some of the older units were in questionable shape. Further, the Syracuse fire stations were mainly built in the 19th century, and were in poor locations to serve the changing demographics of the city. A comprehensive reorganization plan had been initiated by Chief Simon Ennis in 1961, and revised & amended over the following years. It envisioned a "clean sheet of paper" approach, with new fire stations better positioned for timely response, and new apparatus of new types to increase efficiency. Obviously, the cost would be significant, and none of the Mayors or City Councils over those years thought that it could be done - so back in the Chief's desk drawer the plan went.

 

Finally, in 1970, Syracuse had a new, dynamic young Mayor named Lee Alexander . . . and a new Chief of Fire named Thomas F Hanlon III.  Tom Hanlon was a gruff, no-nonsense fire chief who cared deeply about his department and his city. He saw the new Mayor as his opportunity - and indeed, Mayor Alexander was looking for a major project to hang his hat on. A meeting was arranged, a presentation made, and from that moment on the Syracuse Fire Department was changed forever. Chief Hanlon had hoped to get even a small portion of the Reorganization Plan implemented - and then over a period of years. As it turned out, he got the green light to do it all, and to do it as quickly as possible. In the end, ten new fire stations and all new engines and trucks were acquired. These new apparatus included tower ladders, "Maxi-Pumpers" with large pumps, quadruple crosslays, 4WD, and telescoping booms, and a newer type of unit to be called a "Mini-Pumper". Careful assessment of numerous ears of departmental statistics had convinced Chief Hanlon and his staff that a large percentage of the alarms typically handled by an SFD engine company could be more quickly and efficiently handled by a small unit with two personnel. These alarms initially included car fires, outdoor fires, lock-outs, downed power lines, and nuisance calls from the hundreds of street alarm boxes throughout the city. A set of specifications was drawn up, and local fire apparatus constructor Sanford was contracted to produce the first two examples. They were delivered in December 1971, and featured high-flotation tires (quickly changed when they proved unsatisfactory), a "pulpit" on the extended front bumper so that the vehicle's pump-and-roll capability could be used by a man with the booster reel nozzle, a front-mounted winch, twin booster reels (one in each rear side compartment). steel bodywork, a 300 gpm pump, 200-gallon tank, a 500-gpm top-mounted Monex monitor, and pump piping that allowed a Maxi-Pumper to pump into a manifold above the Mini's pump to supply it remotely. An International-Harvester 1310 4WD chassis was chosen due to its lower profile than the 4WD chassis from competitors. A large V8 and automatic transmission were specified. No rooftop emergency lights were mounted in a further attempt to keep the height down, in order to enable the units to enter the city's numerous parking garages. Here's what the first SFD Mini_Pumpers looked like:

 



 

Much was learned from these first two units, and changes were in the works for the next generation of Minis.