Partner Vendor Spotlight: Task Force Tips
Partner Spotlight: Silver Ships and Task Force Tips Work Together to Deliver High Quality Fireboat Options to Customers
Silver Ships takes pride in its tenure within the marine workboat industry and in its partnerships with quality outfitting partners. Task Force Tips (TFT) has produced fire equipment for approximately 50 years. Both Silver Ships and Task Force Tips place heavy emphasis on developing high-quality vessels and equipment for the firefighting industry. TFT products help Silver Ships meet the mission specific needs of their clients.
Task Force Tips: 50 Years of Serving the Firefighting Community
Task Force Tips is a fire equipment company that manufactures innovative tools to help save lives. According to TFT, the history of the company began when volunteer firefighter Clyde McMillan injured himself on an ineffective fire nozzle. He began working on a design for an automatic nozzle and developed the Fire Tasks Force Innovations.
Fire Tasks Force Innovations operated from the McMillan family basement until 1976 when the company moved to its first facility in Valparaiso. In 1982 the founder of TFT and inventor of the automatic nozzle, Clyde McMillan, passed away, but the company kept growing in size, number of employees and machines, and sales. Today, TFT has expanded its world headquarters and created the Multi Agency Academic Cooperative, which serves first responders with a high-quality training facility.
Dependable Fire Equipment for Land and Sea
Task Force Tips offers a variety of products ranging from nozzles and monitors to foam injection and discharge valves. Each product is manufactured in the U.S. and is designed with quality and dependability in mind. TFT takes pride in developing products that exceed expectations of those that risk their lives to save others. All products are made from aluminum, are hardcoat anodized and have a five year warranty.
Q&A with TFT’s Southeast Territory Manager, Ron Prast
Q What are the most popular fire boat products?
A The most popular products are our Tornado and Monsoon Remote Control Monitors. Operators may also have a VUM (Valve Under Monitor), which allows the monitor to be shut off and have additional small outlets for users to attach hose lines. The VUM can be configured in several different ways with as many as four smaller valves.
Q What products are used for outfitting a fireboat?
A Every fire department is different regarding what it requires on a fireboat. Most fireboats have at least one fire monitor supplied by an onboard pump that takes water from the source and projects it to the fire. Task Force Tips offers monitors from 250 gallons per minute to 8,000 gallons per minute. Each monitor has a fire nozzle on the end, and which also come in various sizes and types. Typically, the monitor can be electronically controlled remotely, and hose lines with smaller fire nozzles may be used along with a portable monitor.
Q Is there a difference between marine and traditional firefighting equipment?
A Really, there is no difference. The products used on fireboats are the same as those used on other land-based fire apparatus around the world. However, the U.S. Navy still uses nozzles made from brass instead of aluminum. We believe (through rigorous testing) that our hardcoat anodized aluminum is better, lighter and less expensive than brass.
Silver Ships is proud to work with reliable, dedicated brands like Task Force Tips. TFT’s products help us construct durable, high-quality vessels for our fire rescue clients. To learn more about the first response and rescue vessels we build, click here.