Toyne Pumper Delivered to Great Bend, Kansas

03.01.18

Great Bend, Kansas is home to a new pumper after the Great Bend Fire/EMS Department received the apparatus in mid-January. Built by premier fire apparatus manufacturer Toyne, the pumper will assist in the firefighting efforts of the department, which serves 156 square miles of Baron County, Kansas.

Toyne built Great Bend's pumper on a Spartan Gladiator LFD 10-inch chassis, and it's powered by a Cummins ISL 450 horsepower engine. A 3000 Allison EVS transmission drives the apparatus, which also contains a Cummins Onan 6000-amp hydraulic generator. It also boasts high-level firefighting power, with a 750-gallon UPF tank, Waterous pump and Foam Pro 2001 Class A foam system. Additionally, the pumper is equipped with Fire Research telescoping lights.

Great Bend is located in central Kansas along the Arkansas River, and has a population of over 15,500 people. The Great Bend Fire/EMS Department, led by Fire Chief Luke McCormick, operates three fire stations — two staffed and one unstaffed — and serves approximately 20,000 people, in Great Bend and neighboring townships.

"We are proud to have built this apparatus for Great Bend Fire/EMS," said Michael Schwabe, president and CEO of Toyne, Inc. "Our team strives to produce quality, reliable equipment, and we know this pumper will be a welcome addition for the men and women serving their community in Great Bend."

The apparatus is a sister engine to the Toyne Pumper the department received in 2012. Captain Eric Yoder, a member of Great Bend's truck committee, said the identical features will increase the department's effectiveness, and commended Toyne's customer service.

"The compatibility between the two engines and the two stations is going to help our drivers and engineers a lot," said Yoder. "Toyne puts out a great product, they're easy to work with, it's one-on-one — if you have any questions, they're more than happy to help."