Fire Trucks At War
| Aug 2007 |
| Vietnam War US Military Firefighters and their Fire Apparatus |
| Vietnam |
| An essential component of every Army operation is Facilities Engineering. FE covers many non-combatant tasks from building construction to rodent control. During the Vietnam War the majority of the Army's FE components, including firefighters, fell within the Army Reserves. Because of caps put on troop strength in Vietnam the Army did not mobilize these reserve units. The Army relied on civilian contractors for much of their maintenance and construction projects. Pacific Architects and Engineers was one of the prime contractors for Army operations in Vietnam. One of PA&E duties was to provide fire protection to the many Army combat bases in country. While there were some Army Firefighting Detachments assigned to Engineer Units, the bulk of the fire protection was handled by PA&E. Fire stations were constructed, the number at each base determined by base size and hazards associated at each installation. Fire Chiefs were recruited stateside and Assistant Chiefs were often hired from other countries. The firefighting force varied. In Long Binh, there was a mix of military firefighters and Vietnamese civilians. Dong Ha firefighters were Vietnamese under the direction of an American fire chief. Fire protection at smaller Army bases was often provided by military firefighters assigned to Firefighting Detachments The 530B pumper was the primary fire truck used by the Army. Most departments also utilized water tankers, constructed on civilian and military truck chassis to provide water for firefighting as the 530B held only 400 gals of water. Many departments modified their 530Bs to meet their individual needs and many military vehicles were turned into fire trucks. A great example of this is the conversion of a armored personnel carrier into a foam unit at the Long Binh Fire Department. The department at Soc Trang acquired an USAF 0-11 to protect it's airfield. This is just a brief overview of Army fire protection in Vietnam. There is much information to be gathered and many stories to be told. The FTAW staff would like to hear from those that served as Army firefighters in Nam. We are looking for pictures of Army fire apparatus, stations and firefighters from that era to post on this site. |
| Phuoc Vinh FD |
| 120th Avn Co CFR |
| Click Photos To Enlarge Image |
| Vietnamese firefighters pose for the camera at Dong Ha, 1970 |
| PA&E fire station located at Dong Ha 1970 |
| Built by the members of the Long Binh Fire Department, this 1962, M-113 armored personnel carrier became quite an impressive form unit. The rig was equipped with a Navy P-250 pump and held 900 gals of water, 110 gals of protein and 200 gals of Hi-X foam. |
| Unknown Army firefighter with the 114th Firefighting Det Long Binh 1967 |
| Engine 5 from the Long Binh FD Dec 1969 |
| 530B in quarters at this former USMC fire station at Dong Ha. The USMC moved from this station in 1969 when they returned to the world |
| A Jeep Deluge unit constructed by the firefighters at Long Binh |
| Army and Vietnamese firefighters hold a hose drill at Long Binh, Dec 1969 |
| Looking like it should be in a SPAAMFAA muster, this 1942 Mack sits at the Long Binh FD compound, Dec 1969 |
| Fire Station No 1 at Camp Samas San, Thailand US Army 1971 |
| The US Army 530B Fire Truck |
| In 1953 the Army Corps of Engineers began designing a new fire truck to replace the Class 530A. Because the front mounted pump on the 530A could not be winterized and it's firefighting equipment was exposed to the elements. The new vehicle, Class 530B was built with insulated compartments, midship mounted pump and provisions for body heaters. The first series of 530Bs were constructed in 1954 on the M-44, 2 1/2 ton, 6x6 chassis with single tires on 2 rear axles. It was equipped with a 500 gpm midship mounted single stage pump and mounted a 400 gal. water tank and a 40 gal. foam tank. Foam was supplied from a proportioning system that introduced foam into the discharge side of the pump. The pump and booster reels were contained in an insulated compartment just behind the cab, but it was soon discovered that the pump compartment door hindered firefighting operations. The pump compartment was discontinued and the booster reels were located in compartments above the pump. The duel booster reels each held 150 ft. of 1 in. hose and a metal rack for holding ground ladders was mounted over the hose bed. The bed could carry 1200 ft. of 2 1/2 in. and 800 ft. of 1 1/2 in. hose. The 530B carried standard firefighting equipment for combating all classes of fires. The second version of the Class 530B appeared about 1968 and was built on the M-35, 2 1/2 ton, 6x6 chassis. It was powered by a 140 hp multi-fueled engine. The body style of the rig remained the same as the first version. The two rear axles now mounted duel tires. The bodies on the 530Bs were manufactured by Hesse, Firemaster, Ward LaFrance, American Air Filter, Fire Trucks Inc and Loadcraft. The 530B was used by the US Army, Air Force and Marine Corps. The Class 530B was the work horse of the Army's Fire Service for many years and could be found at Army post worldwide. |
| Army TM Photos |
| LBFD Rescue 1 1962 Jeep |
| LBFD Tanker 5 5000 gals water |
| LBFD Tanker 1 1200 gals water 90 gpm pump |
| Long Binh FD, 1969 |
| PA&E Vietnamese firefighters on a call at Dong Ha, 1970 |
| Long Binh Engine 3 530B |
| One of the most common fires at Quang Tri involved outhouses |
| Sent to us with no information Appears to be Vietnamese firefighters on this PA&E 530B |
| Dong Ha, 1970 NVA rockets started this fire at the fuel depot |
| Air Force and Marine Corps Vietnam Pictures |
| Looking for pictures of Air Force and Marine Corps firefighting equipment in Vietnam to add to this section. Contact us if you have any photos. |
| USMC FD Chu Lai |
| USAF |
| Air Force Fire Station Da Nang, 1969 |
| Air Force Tanker Da Nang, 1969 |
| U S Navy |
| View of fire equipment at Camp Evens, USAF 1969 |
| USMC |
| Bill Nink served as a 51M (fire fighter) with the 114th Engineer Fire Fighting Detachment in Vietnam. Shown here are several 530 Bs and a water tanker at Fire Support Base Mace. Bill can be contacted at: ninkwilliam@sbcglobal.net |
| Rigs at the Long Binh Ammo Dump Nink Photo |
| Khe Sanh 1971 Nink Photo |
| On the road again Nink photo |
| Bill Nink pictured at Fire Base Buttons |
| Army fire Station somewhere in Vietnam 1971 |
| Send in your Vietnam FD Photos |
| FTAW staff member in Vietnam 1969-1970 |
| Contact Us milfireguy@comcast.net |
| 5th Inf Div Mech Quang Tri 1969-70 |
| 75th Support Bn |
| No fire station for this 530B, crew was quartered in the Hootch behind pumper, Quang Tri, 1970 |
| This Hi-X foam unit also from the LBFD was equipped with 800 gals of water and 200 gals of foam. 1971 photo |
| Five Air Force firefighters from the 366th CES were killed and this O-11A destroyed when a 500 lb bomb on a burning F-4 exploded at Da Nang in July 1967 |
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