An all-terrain wildfire fighter arrives in North Okanagan

Voyager TFFV - Wildfires in difficult terrain may be able to be combated with this tool.

The North Okanagan hosted a demonstration of an all-terrain vehicle and water-carrying machine on Saturday.

As part of its North American tour, the vehicle stopped at several locations.

Track vehicles of this type are already in use by the Canadian military and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. UTV International, a Canadian company, believes they could be very useful in fighting wildfires.

"I partnered with a consultant. Turns out instead of just him being a firefighter for 25 years, he was actually building fire trucks for 20,” said UTV International engineer Erik Paldy.

B.C.-based firefighter and fire-engine designer Tony Jumeau was eager to help design this unique machine.

My personal experience was that many trucks were getting stuck in soft surfaces.

ATVs are distinguished by several features, including how they are powered.

“It’s a diesel engine made into a generator. That generator charges a battery and that’s what we use for sending the power to the electric motors in each track system,” said Paldy.

Vehicles can climb steep hills thanks to the torque provided by electric motors, engineers say.

Aside from this, it's equipped with a variety of firefighting tools, including an almost 7,600-liter water tank.

“It’s an ultra-high pressure. We use up to 1500 PSI and we can actually use it for cutting root systems and getting right into those areas that are very hard to get,” said Jumeau.

Tony Clayton, Lumby Fire Chief, said the vehicles could be used anywhere in British Columbia.

It is estimated that the machines will cost $900,000.

Published: October 12, 2022