The Richmond Fire Department recently announced an addition to their fleet – a Rosenbauer pumper truck — which will take the place of the 1999 Firemaster pumper as the city’s first-run truck. The older truck will be retained as a reserve pumper. A 1,000-gallon pumper with a 1,500-gallon-per-minute Watrous pump, the new addition was in production for nearly 16 months before arriving in Richmond. It has been named ‘Pumper 1,’ said Fire Chief Mark Sowder. Pumper 1, as the Richmond fire chief calls it, provides several advancements for the department, with compressed air foam technology (CAFS) topping the list. CAFS provides many advantages, including making fire extinguishment much faster and allowing for much less water usage, causing less water damage in a structure. Sowder also explained CAFS makes hoses about half the weight of the water alone, making it much easier to fight a fire. In addition, CAFS allows for the adjustment of foam from firefighting to the protection of…