Tuesday, March 14, 2017

And on a related note

When police forces across the country were getting their hands on military tanks and armored personnel carriers, our little counties were going, "WTF are we going to do with a tank?! What else ya got?"

What they had were all-terrain fuel trucks, easily retrofitted to carry hundreds of gallons of water and high pressure hoses into brush that regular fire trucks can't access. So far, ten Texas Panhandle counties have the Beasts. Kind of funny to watch the fire trucks screaming towards a grass fire and the Beast lagging behind like a winded rhino at the back of a stampede. But it gets there, and it does an amazing job getting into the breaks and draws where mesquite and buffalo grass offer ample fuel.

Meet the Panhandle Volunteer Fire Department's Beast. Credited for helping to quickly contain last week's brush fire.


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Haven driven one in the back country of Idaho, I can tell you it's like a .56 caliber round. It don't go fast, but it don't stop.
Q

Cederq said...

Drove enough of those Deuces and 5-Tonners in the lean green farting machine... the best of them will go 60 but will go all day, the next day until you drop and sleep in the cab on those hard-assed canvas seats exhausted! WC knows what I speak of...

Granny said...

Slow and steady wins the race. Love Ya Beast.

Anonymous said...

God Bless Em...and for sure Bless their drivers!!


vaquero viejo

Dan O. said...

Getting water where it's needed is key in firefighting. Good for them vying for this vs. the tank. Much more practical.