A Brush Truck (Mini Pumper or combination vehicle) is a combination of an all terrain vehicle, mini-pumper, and a wilderness rescue vehicle, often used to fight wildfires.[1] It is sometimes also known as a booster, Brush Breaker, or simply a Breaker.
Typically, an example would be a heavy duty pickup truck outfitted with a 200+ gallon tank, Indian tanks, chainsaws, picks, fire rakes, and stretchers for rescue operations. Most trucks would have a front mounted secondary pump that can feed its primary outlets, or can provide boost power to supplement a high drawing engine. The role of a Brush truck is simply, get in where the main apparatus(es) cannot go, such as narrow roads, fields, or in very swampy areas. Newer brush trucks would have a diesel engine set on a 1-ton pickup chassis. Older versions would be a large displacement gas engine, like a 351W, a 390W, or 460W. Some older trucks can be a regular pickup with fire department markings, lights and Fire radio, with a portable pump and hose lines with a large water tank. Brush trucks can usually respond to non-firefighting situations such as medical calls, but not all departments have medical equipment on these trucks.
The role of the brush truck has changed over the past few years. Many brush trucks are now used as first responders, because of their ease of maneuverability and operation. Furthermore, in the past most rural or volunteer departments deployed these units to fight brush fires, but now the industry has seen a shift and many urban departments are purchasing these units to fight car fires in parking structures, and as first responders. Many companies have sprung up with the increase in demand for this versatile fire fighting apparatus. Several of the larger truck manufactures now produce brush trucks; Brush Fighter [1], Rosenbauer America [2], and Emergency One.
