AUSTERLITZ VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY, INC.
802
8O2 is a dedicated "source" pumper. It carries no water. Instead it seeks a water source and pumps water to the scene through 5" large diameter hose or fills tankers which then drive the water to the scene.
The Austerlitz Fire District is served by 2 fire companies: AVFC and the Spencertown Fire Company. Both companies respond together to all fires in the District. In our rural community finding water for the fire can be challenging. Each company operates a specialized piece of apparatus for this. The AVFC has 802 and SFC has 514 which is a 1,800 gallon tanker.
With the tanker and 2 pumpers we carry 4,000 gallons to the fire. With the source truck and 2 pumpers we carry 4,000 feet of large diameter hose. This means that any given water source can cover well over a mile of road frontage (1/2 mi. each way) plus a long driveway by direct pumping. Further than that we use tankers.
802 has several interesting features to perform its mission. It is a lightweight 4 wheel drive vehicle. It has an extra large water intake port which enables it to pump over 1000 gal/min more than 2,000 feet. It carries 2 350 gal/min portable pumps with auxiliary hose that allow it to find undeveloped water sources as far as 300' beyond where it can be driven. The primary purpose of the portable pumps is water supply but this vehicle is also used to pump out basements during flood conditions.