L.A. County Fire Bulldozer – Heavy Fire Equipment

About the L.A. County Fire Bulldozer – Heavy Fire Equipment:

The firefighting done in Los Angeles County, California, requires more than your typical firetrucks and hoses. The crews there also rely on heavy equipment such as the D8R bulldozer, which is especially tough and performs well in extreme heat—perfect for fighting forest fires. These bulldozers use a 3406C DITA diesel engine that pushes 307 horsepower at 2,100 rpm.

The LA County Fire Department has ten of these bulldozers in use. They are crewed by heavy equipment operators certified for wildland firefighting. To become an operator, extensive heavy equipment operation experience is required, and once selected the operator must go through training at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Heavy Fire Equipment Operator Academy.

The firefighting dozers are outfitted with 15-foot-wide manual angle blades, a two-person cab for the operator and Senior Fire Suppression aid— “swamper”—and a special charcoal filter system to help purify the air from toxins. These bulldozers can be used to suppress the fire itself or to cut lines through vegetation to help stop the spread.