The Last County Brush Breaker
West Barnstable got this brush breaker in 1982 to replace its 1958 County Breaker.
It has a 1967 International military chassis and bar work by Ted Young.
This breaker with its 1000 gallon tank was the last of the County breakers.

West Barnstable Breaker 295 in June 2002.

Falmouth Breaker 30 - 1982 Ford Farrar brush breaker.

This 1982 Ford breaker is owned by Falmouth Fire Department. B-16 was called Breaker 30
when delivered by Farrar with its 750 gallon tank.

Falmouth Breaker 16
with new paint job in 2008

 

Middleborough's 1984 International / Maxim Brush Breaker.

Middleborough Fire Department's Forest Fire 1 is a 1984 International /
Maxim brush breaker that was refurbished in  1997 by V-Tech.
It now has (2) 500 gpm pumps and carries 800 gallons.

Middleborough Fire Department's Forest Fire 1 Nov 2005 photos
 

Bourne Fire Department Breaker 9 (129) was put in service
in 1986.  It had a 1952 Reo chassis and was built locally.
It had a 600 gallon tank and was assigned to Monument Beach.

1980s FOREST FIRES

Command post and rehab area at Otis during 1986 fire.

No fewer than seven breakers stage at sunrise at this Massachusetts Military Reservation (Otis) the morning after
a 2500 acres fire in anticipation of flare-ups. Breakers pictured include: Bourne B130, State B6 and B5, Mashpee B354,
West Barnstable B295, COMM B316, and Sandwich B142.

The view from behind the wheel of COMM FD's Breaker 316 following State Breaker 5 during wet down
of hot spots at Otis on April 1, 1986

The burned area from the 1986 fire.
The fire began in the impact area near the top and raced south
jumping several fire roads over the course of just a couple hours.

Brush Breakers are designed to make their own path when necessary.
Smaller trees up to several inches in diameter are no match for the large breakers.
Trees as large as a foot in diameter can be taken down if there is no way around them.
Occasionally root balls can cause a breaker's wheels to lose traction. Most breakers
are equipped with chain saws and powerful winches to free themselves from being hung up.
The damage done to the woods by breakers is, in most cases, less than that which a fire
will do if left to burn wild. The type of Terrain, rocks, rivers and wetlands, fire fuel levels, and
other factors dictate appropriate use of this technique.

 

Large forest fires can be very destructive and dangerous. This photo taken from the Fire Patrol Plane
during the "Pave Paws Fire" of April 22, 1988 shows the flames reaching 60'-100' in the air and
the thick smoke produced by the fire.

The "Pave Paws" military radar site in the northern part of the Massachusetts Military Reservation (Otis)
is seen at the right in this photo. This fire burned intensely towards this vital military installation.
The clearing around the facility prevented any damage. The fire however, continued to burn past the
facility consuming over 2000 acres within a couple hours.

Side fire burns slowly towards the powerlines. Should a wind shift occur, this flank would become the headfire and
endanger anyone in front of it.

About a dozen fire apparatus, breakers and tankers, are staged on the power lines to prevent the fire from jumping this fire break.
If the fire direction and intensity were to change, , the fire could easily jump the 100-150 foot wide fire break.
Fortunately, it did not.

Bourne and Otis breakers extinguishing hot spots in the burn.

When side fire turns to head fire smoke darkens and thickens.

Pave Paws Fire April 22, 1988
Gibbs Road / Power Lines

Pave Paws Fire April 22, 1988

Pave Paws Fire April 22, 1988

Pave Paws Fire April 22, 1988

Pave Paws Fire April 22, 1988

Pave Paws Fire April 22, 1988
 

Pave Paws Fire April 22, 1988
 

Pave Paws Fire April 22, 1988
 

Pave Paws Fire April 22, 1988
 

Pave Paws Fire April 22, 1988
 

Pave Paws Fire April 22, 1988
 

Sandwich Breaker 442 operates from the safety of a service road within the impact area at Otis.

This fire in the Otis area easily jumped this narrow fire road before being contained. Placing personnel and
apparatus in front of such a fire is dangerous. The safest attack is to come in from behind the fire and
work on extinguishing side fire until the headfire can be reached and knocked down. This takes a
coordinated effort and air communications make a big difference. Wood Road fire April 19, 1986.

Conditions on the back of brush breakers during firefighting can be pretty nasty.
Heat, smoke, dust, briars, fallen trees, and a host of other hazards from the rough ride make
this a dangerous, yet memorable experience for firefighters.

1980S DUXBURY BREAKERS

Duxbury Breaker 47 - 1988 International / Maxim
800 gpm / 765 gallon brush breaker. 


Duxbury breaker 47 - 1988 International / Maxim

 

Duxbury Breaker 48 is a 1988 International 4900 / Maxim
800 gpm / 765 gallon brush breaker.
 

Duxbury Breaker 48






West Barnstable's Patrol 290 is a 1989 Chevy 2500 Pickup Truck with a 170 gallon skid tank.