The Wilmington morning star., 1945-06-10
New Fire Fighting Units
Constructed By Fires,1en
Work Carried Oxt At
Garage Under Supervi-
sion OF Chief Groom

Several complete fire fighting
UNITS have been constructed at the
Fire department garage by men,
bers of the department under tn
esupervision of Chief Luddie Groom.
In the beginning of the program
for development of auxiliary equip
ment in connection with wartime
civilian defense, two small Inter-
national one-ton pick-ups were pur-
chased by the City Manager and
turned over to the Fire department
to be built into auxiliary booster
trucks.
These two trucks now carry 165
gallons of water, 200 feet of 3D.
inch Booster line with Panama
Booster pump, portable Indian fire
pumps of 5-gallon capacity, "a foot
extension ladder, and a IL foot
ladder and ayes. These trucks are
used to extinguish grass fires, wash
gasoline off the street and furnish
additional water to trucks answer
in galarms outside the city limits.
The city, having sufficient OCD
equipment to fully equip three fire
trucks, decided to assemble this
in a form best suited to the pro-
lection of it's citizens. Three Ddge
trucks were purchased from the
Army Discarded Equipment depot
at Fayetteville, N. c., by the City
Manager, and turned over to the
Fire department to be built into
fire apparatus. After careful plan
ming and discussions the work was
started. and four months later this
equipment was placed ''in service.
These units are much larger and
more complete than the first two,
each being equipped with a 500
gallon per minute centrifugal pump,
with motor, mounted amidship
which can use fire hydrant water
supply. The Booster tank has a
capacity of $50 gallons Of water and
is piped through the main pump to
two ga inch discharge lines, $50
feet in length. Also, a portable
pump is carried on these trucks
which, by being able to draft water
from creek, we'll, river or ditch
from any nearby location, can fur
nish water to the main pump or
Booster tank. In addition, 100 feet
of 1-2-inch double jacket fire hose
and 200 feet of l 1-2-inch double
jacket hose are carried in the hose
basket for use when handling
streams supplied directly from
hydrants.
Additional equipment such as
nozzles, axes, pike pole, buckets,
portable extinguishers, door-opener
and shovels are suitably mounted,
along with a "a foot extension lad
der and IL foot roof ladder.
This equipment is suitable for
answering alarms outside of the
city since there is carried a good
water supply in the Booster tanks
sufficient to extinguished fires if
the department is notified in time,
or should the fire occur where there
is an available hydrant water SUP
ply, the pumps can furnish con-
tinuous stream or streams as long
as needed. This equipment can
also serve the department as en-
Urgency equipment to be Used in
the event regular truck is taken
out of service for repairs or used
in the regular service in case of
series Of simultaneous fires or a
major conflagration.
Chief Groom highly compliment
ed his men for the splendid work
done by them in converting discard
ed army trucks into fire apparatus
and assembling all the OCD equip
ment for useful service and thus
adding additional equipment to the
department which, at some time
or other, might be the extra needed
for the control Of a major fire or
fires.