Rear mount pumps are popular in Europe and in the U.S. industrial foam pumper arenas - but few have been seen in the rural FD community. During one of our seminars in Maine we came across the folks from the Carrabassett Valley FD and their 1,250 gpm multi-purpose pumper outfitted with a rear mounted fire pump.
Like the much-traditioned front mount pump, the rear mounted pump is quite versatile in the rural setting - especially when it comes on a short-wheel based rig. Carrabassett's Multi 1 works quite well on the narrow winding roads found in Franklin County (and the ski resorts) and is found especially useful for gaining access to static water supples for drafting.
The pumper was built by V-Tech on an HME chassis.
While popular in Europe, the rear mount pump is new to "rural" America. However, it is a versatile as a front mount pump in many situations.
The short wheelbased pumper was designed specifically to serve on the narrow and winding roads found throughout Carrabassett Valley.
Multi 1 is shown here with great positioning for drafting while supporting a tanker fill site at this drill in Strong, ME.
