Fire & Rescue Equipment
The Fire District continues to focus on acquiring and maintaining an array of equipment that provides maximum protection to Island property owners, residents, and visitors. These tools, combined with diligent training activities, are a key to provision of first class fire, and EMS service to our community. Because Upper Captiva operates entirely off the grid without paved roads, bridges, or a municipal fire hydrant system, standard mainland fire trucks cannot survive here. Our fleet is a custom-curated arsenal of lifted 4x4s, heavy-duty military chassis, agricultural PTO pumps, and specialized drafting apparatus designed to navigate deep sugar sand and secure static water under the most extreme coastal conditions.
Engine 191:First-Due Attack Pumper
Engine 191 is the tip of the spear for Upper Captiva, serving as the first-due apparatus for all structural and wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires. Purpose-built for our zero-hydrant environment, E191 features a specialized front-bumper drafting intake. This allows our crews to pull nose-first past a target address on narrow single-lane trails and immediately establish a static draft from residential pools or canals. Fully equipped with an operational Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS) and carrying all necessary firefighting, rescue, and forced-entry tools, E191 is a self-sufficient attack platform designed to maximize our limited resources to achieve rapid fire knockdown.
Engine 192
Fire Engine 192, which came to use from South Trail Fire Department in Ft. Myers, is an equal to Engine 191 in pumping power and capacity providing a one-two-punch in fighting fires on the island. While Engine 192 is slightly smaller and lighter, it still packs the same punch as Engine 191.
Brush 191: Heavy Tactical Water Shuttle
Built for the battlefield, Brush 191 is virtually unstoppable in deep sand and flooded coastal conditions. During major structural or WUI canopy fires, this 6-wheel-drive behemoth operates in our continuous mobile water shuttle loop, drafting from remote water sources and delivering 1,800-gallon payloads directly to the fireground drop pools, ensuring our attack engines never run dry.
Tender 191: Command & Heavy Supply
Operating as our second-due apparatus, Tender 191 is the backbone of our initial water supply. Carrying a massive 2,000-gallon payload, T191 is designed to stop short of the fire scene and “nurse” Engine 191 to sustain the initial attack before a static draft is fully established. Furthermore, its elevated cab serves as the mobile Incident Command Post for our Officers to manage the fireground and coordinate incoming marine mutual aid.
Rescue 191: Rapid Response Unit
Agility and speed. Rescue 191 is our highly maneuverable, rapid-response medical and extrication vehicle. Built to navigate the narrowest golf-cart trails and dense tropical canopies on the island, this turbo-diesel unit ensures our personnel can reach patients instantly, delivering immediate life-saving care and executing complex off-road extractions before the heavier Transport 191 arrives.
High Volume PTO Drafting Trailer
The ultimate zero-hydrant equalizer. This towable, heavy-duty pump is designed to be powered directly by the Kubota Tractor’s PTO shaft. Engineered for extreme water movement, its massive dual hard-suction intakes can rapidly draft thousands of gallons from deep-water canals or the Gulf of Mexico. It will function as our primary fill-site powerhouse, capable of top-filling our heavy water shuttles (Tender 191, Tender 192, Brush 191) in minutes to sustain long-duration attack operations.