SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — What could be the oldest fire truck in this part of the country is still being used by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) to put out forest fires here.
The 1956 Howe International HR-62 R 185 series fire truck with code number “2-1” is still a proud member of the SBMA Fire Department’s fleet of trucks, racing to fire scenes inside this freeport.
The fire truck is now at least 40 years old, said SBMA fire chief Rannie Magno, and it continues to respond to fire alarms, alongside its more modern siblings like the 2004 model International Harvester FRT 014 7-3.
“This truck was acquired when Subic Bay Freeport was still a US naval base. It was used by the US military for airport operations in 1969, and it has been at the forefront of firefighting operations in Subic Bay ever since,” Magno said.
“In 1992, the U.S. government turned it over to SBMA authorities, and we have since used it for various jobs here. This just goes to show how much effort we put in to maintain our equipment,” he added.
Virtually a collector’s item, the 2-1 fire truck has a reservoir tank with a capacity of 250 gallons and can pump up to 500 gallons per minute.
“It is still reliable,” Magno said. “We usually use this fire truck several times during summer when forest fires occur.”
He said the relatively slim body of the Howe International HR-62 allows it to navigate narrow forest trails where bigger trucks cannot go.
Magno added that the old fire truck may see action again this summer, starting this month which is the hottest in the year, and especially because of the effects of the El Niño phenomenon.
Magno explained that forest fires occur when all of the necessary elements come together in a wooded area: an ignition source is brought into contact with a combustible material such as vegetation, which is subjected to sufficient heat, and has an adequate supply of oxygen from the ambient air.
He added that in dense forests like those in Subic, a high moisture content usually prevents ignition and slows propagation, because higher temperatures are required to evaporate any water within the material and heat the material to its fire point.
But less dense material such as grasses and leaves are easier to ignite because they contain less water than denser materials such as branches and trunks, Magno said.
This is the reason why most fires start from grasslands, he said. “And when these blaze spread out to forest areas, that’s when the 2-1 becomes indispensable.”
Magno said putting out forest fires is a very difficult and risky business. “But it’s a job we have to do because forests are a very important natural resource,” he said.
“It’s a good thing that we still have this reliable 1956 Howe International 2-1 to help us protect Subic’s forests,” Magno added.
The 1956 Howe International HR-62 R 185 series fire truck with code number “2-1” is still a proud member of the SBMA Fire Department’s fleet of trucks, racing to fire scenes inside this freeport.
The fire truck is now at least 40 years old, said SBMA fire chief Rannie Magno, and it continues to respond to fire alarms, alongside its more modern siblings like the 2004 model International Harvester FRT 014 7-3.
“This truck was acquired when Subic Bay Freeport was still a US naval base. It was used by the US military for airport operations in 1969, and it has been at the forefront of firefighting operations in Subic Bay ever since,” Magno said.
“In 1992, the U.S. government turned it over to SBMA authorities, and we have since used it for various jobs here. This just goes to show how much effort we put in to maintain our equipment,” he added.
Virtually a collector’s item, the 2-1 fire truck has a reservoir tank with a capacity of 250 gallons and can pump up to 500 gallons per minute.
“It is still reliable,” Magno said. “We usually use this fire truck several times during summer when forest fires occur.”
He said the relatively slim body of the Howe International HR-62 allows it to navigate narrow forest trails where bigger trucks cannot go.
Magno added that the old fire truck may see action again this summer, starting this month which is the hottest in the year, and especially because of the effects of the El Niño phenomenon.
Magno explained that forest fires occur when all of the necessary elements come together in a wooded area: an ignition source is brought into contact with a combustible material such as vegetation, which is subjected to sufficient heat, and has an adequate supply of oxygen from the ambient air.
He added that in dense forests like those in Subic, a high moisture content usually prevents ignition and slows propagation, because higher temperatures are required to evaporate any water within the material and heat the material to its fire point.
But less dense material such as grasses and leaves are easier to ignite because they contain less water than denser materials such as branches and trunks, Magno said.
This is the reason why most fires start from grasslands, he said. “And when these blaze spread out to forest areas, that’s when the 2-1 becomes indispensable.”
Magno said putting out forest fires is a very difficult and risky business. “But it’s a job we have to do because forests are a very important natural resource,” he said.
“It’s a good thing that we still have this reliable 1956 Howe International 2-1 to help us protect Subic’s forests,” Magno added.
