Highly Mobile Minis: HMA Fire Apparatus debuts 4 prototypes
Story & Photos by Bob Vaccaro

A new fire apparatus manufacturer has emerged with four new products for the fire service industry. HMA Fire Apparatus, based in Madison, Wis., is an up-and-coming fire apparatus and equipment company that’s definitely worth keeping an eye on.

I had the pleasure of spending some time at FDIC with Rory Groonwald, the vice president of operations and designer of these neat little units. According to Groonwald, research and development of these units and their technology has been underway for some time. And the U.S. Air Force has been testing them extensively at various bases around the country.

Specifically, design development and manufacturing has taken place in the following areas: close-quarters fire suppression vehicles, wildland and off-road fire vehicles, specialized ARFF applications, Ultra-High Pressure (UHP) firefighting systems, hanger and facility fire protection units, Rapid Initial Response (RIR) fire suppression vehicles, standard and specialty fire apparatus and retrofits, and UHP upgrades.

The company is conducting additional research and development for advanced UHP pump development, fire suppression stream consistency, turret and UHP nozzle development, and state-of-the-art control systems for turret/monitor designs.

At FDIC, HMA displayed four prototype units.
• The L3 UHP Mobile Fire Suppression Apparatus is built on an 8 x 8 tank-like skid steer unit with fixed non-steerable wheels mounted directly to the frame. It features a 210-hp Cummins diesel engine, a FLIR Vision System, a 300-gallon water tank, a 36-gallon foam tank, a 60-gpm turret, 20–30-gpm handline-programmable foam-proportioning controls and a host of other options. It’s air transportable and can be configured for aircraft and helicopter deployments.
• The L1 1st Responder ERV (emergency response vehicle) also has the UHP rapid fire suppression system, and it’s built on a 6 x 6 Polaris Ranger ATV chassis. It can be configured with a diesel or gas engine, multiple water tanks, pistol or air-aspirated nozzles and manual or electric hose reels. It operates with 20-gpm/1,400-psi water and foam, a 60–75 gallon tank, 150 feet of lightweight high-pressure hose and a foam premix application within the water tank.
• The L1 T Tracked ERV is the same as the L1 First Responder, but it features a Mattracks All-Terrain track system for maximum off-road use.
• HMA’s Mobile UHP skid units can be mounted to any truck platform. They have all the same specs as the above listed units, but they’re available as a skid-mounted unit.

In Sum
All of these powerful little units can extinguish a lot of fire in a short period of time, with one-third the amount of suppressant used. One video I watched at the HMA display showed how its UHP Handline with brass high-pressure inserts was able to knock down 380 gallons of JP-8 jet fuel in 38 seconds by using 20 gpm of premixed water and foam at 1,400 psi.

The company will continue testing the units in the coming months, and it should be interesting to see the final outcome of the vehicles for future use. Check out HMA’s Web site, www.hmafire.com, for additional information and videos. You’ll be amazed at how these nimble, powerful units extinguish fires.

Contact Info
HMA Fire Apparatus
1212 Fourier Dr.
Madison, Wis. 53717
608/229-2755
www.hmafire.com

Bob Vaccaro has more than 30 years of fire-service experience. He is a former chief of the Deer Park (N.Y.) Fire Department. Vaccaro has also worked for the Insurance Services Office, The New York Fire Patrol and several major commercial insurance companies as a senior loss-control consultant.