Meet the Scamp New Firefighting Device Unique to Julian

Tag Gaines & Scamp

By Jim Evans

Most of us probably think of a scamp as “a playful, mischievous person,” but “SCAMP”

is also an acronym for Self Contained All-Purpose Mix Plant — the latest in modern firefighting technology, and Julian is currently the only community in the country with it.

So, what does it do?

Developed and patented by Tag Gaines, a captain with the Julian/Cuyamaca Fire District, the SCAMP is a smaller, more agile version of the venerable PHOS-CHEK Portable Retardant Base Mixing System used to mix and supply fire retardant to fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft for fighting wildfires.

The PHOS-CHEK has been the standard for portable mixing systems for years, but because of its considerable size and bulk, it is not always practical in areas of rough, forested terrain. Access roads to the operational site for the PHOS-CHEK must be capable of handling a semi-truck and trailer, and some wilderness areas around Julian simply do not have roads or pathways suitable to transport such a large unit. In addition, the PHOSCHEK typically takes about 12 hours to become operational once it arrives on site.

“The SCAMP can reach the more hard-to-reach fires — such as the recent Volcan Mountain fire,” Gaines said. “Volcan was heavily wooded and virtually inaccessible for something as large as the PHOS-CHEK.

“And the total setup time for the SCAMP — including tanks, hoses, fittings, containment barriers and all — is just 1 1/2 hours or less, so we were almost immediately operational.”

Julian/Cuyamaca Fire Chief Kevin Dubler agreed.

“The SCAMP really helped us hold the line on the south side of the Volcan Fire,” says Dubler, an early and enthusiastic supporter of the SCAMP. “Tag has provided us with a newer, better and faster way to deal with fires in difficult terrain.”

In fact, after the Volcan fire, Dubler received a commendation letter from Pat Kerrigan, incident commander with the California Department of Forestry, praising the use of the “portable batch plant.” The letter said, “This firefighting tool effectively supported our helicopter operations throughout the course of the incident.”

The first SCAMP is a prototype of things to come. Gaines recently started his own company — GT Equipment Services Inc. — so he can better market the SCAMP to other fire departments.

With a background in engineering, he is always thinking of ways to make things better and carries a piece of chalk with him everywhere, doodling on the side of his truck, on a storage bin — and then erasing it only to start on something new that comes to mind.

“Our main purpose is to be able to provide the firefighters with better tools to do their jobs,” he said impatiently.

The SCAMP is a self-contained mixing plant on wheels that is capable of mixing fire retardant, foam, gel or decontamination solutions. It can mix and pump to a dip tank for helicopters to pick up; mix and pump directly to a fixed-wing or rotor-wing aircraft; mix and pump to ground resources such as engines or water tenders; or bulk mix foam for engines that are not equipped.

“All we need is a water source — a lake, a pond, a river, a hydrant — and we are up and running,” Gaines said, “and we can produce up to 30,000 gallons of mix per hour.”

The truck is the actual mixing plant, containing the main pump, mix tank, meter, plumbing and the eductor needed to mix. Everything is digitally controlled, and the truck has an engineer’s panel and compartment with a full compliment of fittings and adapters. It also is equipped with radios and provides storage for tools and personal items.

The accompanying trailer consists of three solid-steel dip tanks of 4,000-, 5,000- and 6,000-gallon capacities, respectively; a forklift to separate and set up the tanks; three portable 500 GPM pumps; containment barriers and berms; 600 feet of 3-inch water supply hose and 600 feet of 4-inch product hose; and fittings and adapters to provide flexibility.

“The trailer can be towed by a pickup truck,unlike the semi that is required for the larger PHOS-CHEK,” Gaines said.

He plans to lease the SCAMP out to other fire departments around the country so they can experience its usefulness. He realizes that the firefighting fraternity might be slow to accept something new, so there will naturally be skeptics until the SCAMP has a longer track record.

“But,” said Chief Dubler with a smile, “one of the SCAMP’s harshest critics came up to Tag after the Volcan Fire and said, ‘Your device really kicked _ _ _!’”

It looks like the SCAMP is already winning some converts.

Photo by Jim Evans