A close-up view of the ATV pumper unit. The pump is a Hy-Pro roller pump capable of generating 150 psi. The gasoline engine is a Honda 5.0 horsepower. This unit was custom built by Dave Feutz for the Kawasaki Mule. It is skid-mounted and can be easily slipped in and out of the ATV bed.

Using the ATV pumper unit for wetting the firebreak between the burn unit (right) and a large wetland (left). This procedure, called wetlining, ensures that the fire remain within the burn unit.

This full-sized pickup truck has a 100-gallon pumper unit containing 300 feet of high-pressure hose. Although less mobile than the ATV, it can carry more water and the long hose can reach fairly remote areas. Here the unit is being used to put out fire in a living but hollow bur oak which caught fire during a savanna burn. The truck is owned by Savanna Oak Foundation but the pumper unit, designed by Tom Wise, is shared equipment of The Prairie Enthusiasts.

The photo shows another pumper unit installed on the three-point hitch of a small Kubota tractor. This unit, designed by Paul Michler, has a 65 gallon tank and 300 feet of hose. The pump is a 12-volt electrical diaphragm pump operating at around 35 psi. This inexpensive unit serves mainly as a backup.

For precise placement of fire, drip torches are used. The tank is a heavy-duty aluminum canister with a specially designed fire nozzle equipped with a safety loop that prevents flashback. A check valve in the cover provides a second level of protection against flashback. The fuel is a mixture of 2 parts diesel and 1 part gasoline. Once lighted, the fire drips slowly out of the end. Kathie Brock is just starting to light at the edge of an area of white oak savanna.