Fire roads can’t reach every wildfire, but now there’s a new way to chase the flames deep into the woods.
Montana’s Acela Truck Company has revealed a new Jeep Gladiator-based fire truck outfitted for firefighting duty in difficult terrain.
It’s based on the extreme duty truck builder’s Dispatcher 4×4, which is a custom two-door long-bed version of the Jeep Gladiator it recently debuted.
The Dispatcher 4×4 is based on a Gladiator Sport S that’s been fitted with an Acela-designed extended cab body that provides for a 7-foot long bed or service body.
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To turn it into a Type 6 off-road fire truck, it added a QTAC Fire and Rescue slip-in skid package equipped with a 150-gallon tank, Waterax Versax-9 Honda pump, foam system, a full complement of hoses and a storage compartment. Acela is pitching it as a more capable alternative to UTV-based rigs.
“Type 6 apparatus are critical for rapid response and initial attack, especially in terrain where larger trucks are limited,” Acela President David Ronsen said in a news release. “The Dispatcher brings a new level of maneuverability and payload capacity to this category, while giving agencies the flexibility to choose the firefighting system that best fits their mission.”
The Dispatcher 4×4 retains the Gladiator’s factory powertrain, which features a 285 hp 3.6-liter V6, a standard 4×4 system with front and rear solid axles and a 7,700-pound towing capacity. Acela’s build has a 3,001-pound payload capacity, which is more than enough to handle the skid package and a full tank of water.
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