An appliance is what it is, and simply classifying it to an arbitrary light medium or heavy appliance is pointless. Its all about the total fit out not the numerical value of the pump. From memory Burnside pumper has either a JMP400 or JMP450 pump. After a search of google I couldn't find much on either of these pumps but as someone pointed out it was top stuff about 25 years ago. From memory Burnside Pumper was made by mills-tui, about the same time Belair had their pumper built at Carey Gully. They are (were) similar appliances so I don't know who ripped off who or if they somehow came to a very similar design independently...
As for boosting into the bronto it depends how they set it up. With the variable flow control branch on the platform they can adjust it to give the water pattern required with a particular flow rate. So with a low flow rate setting on an appliance like Burnside Pumper, it would be just enough, but for the full surround and drown option on the nozzle you require at least two pumps of slightly greater capacity than what they could deliver.
I would imagine that Burnside are talking about assisting boosting into the bronto, as I don't see the MFS leaving the bronto without a MFS tender as primary boost. I recall seeing a photo in the paper that showed Burnside or Belair boosing into the bronto at the Mitcham Shopping Centre fire.
As pumprescue points out a two stage PTO with two 90m hose lines is great for long driveways in hilly areas. You just don't get the same performance from a single stage or pump packs. What the CFS/CFA's obsession with pump packs is, I'll never know. They'd say because its a unit it can be unbolted and a new one put on, but thats still one big job with all the fittings to disconnect and reconnect. With a PTO your only stuffing around one big engine (that you would have been anyway) and maybe one very small one for pump and roll. Whereas with the pump pack your carrying and maintaining 2 engines. Seems to me to be a duplication with no extra increase in capability, unlike the PTO with auxiliary for pump and roll. As pip point out, and Ive previously ranted about, there are lots of pump variables and pump performance issues involved. Its just a matter of getting the pump that matches the the task. The little 8Hp pumps (or what ever they were) on the old 14's around 20 years ago use to make for some lively HP work. They were no good for anything else but for the type of volumes you run 2 HP lines at, but they cranked up some good presssure. I don't know about the modern 14s. Anyway for the type of work the CFS does massive pump volumes aren't required. You exhaust the water supply rate usually with the pumps we have. No point getting larger volume pumps when the problem is the water volume from the main or where ever you get it from. I assume the only time massive volume capability may come in handy is when your trying to pump out flooded areas like they were out north a year and a half ago.
As for burnsides game plan and how this fits into their future Im not sure. Under SACAD they may not run up the freeway as often, therefore reducing their call rates. Their main game will be thrashing their trucks running around on the hills face, strike teams and hazmats. In the last lot of COQ they didn't even leave their station. I suspect in the last couple of years that they have done more EMA with their tanker then with their pumper.
I'm led to believe there is a disparity between what they want, what they need and what they may get. But Burnside are smart operators and know what their on about so I wish them well and they don't need to justify their actions to anyone here.
