New truck replaces Engine 6, rescue vehicle

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Firefighters at the Presque Isle Fire Department eagerly looked over the department’s newest piece of equipment, with the arrival of a 2014 Pierce fire truck on Friday.
The Star City department is the first in the state to obtain a truck featuring a galvanized frame.
“The frame rail, cross member and tank cradle are all dipped galvanized. It’s the first truck in the state with it. We have five others now ordered for delivery throughout Maine,” said Ray Smith, sales representative for Minuteman Fire & Rescue Apparatus, Inc., of Walpole, Mass.
Smith said galvanizing these areas will help keep the vehicle on the road longer.
“It helps extend the life of the underside of the truck. This is something everyone (emergency responders) in the combined Northeast and East Coast and even farther south could benefit from, come the winter months. This helps prevent damage from the elements and chemical used on the roads,” said Smith.
He explained how fire trucks differ from the average car or truck.
“The frame rails (on a fire truck) are covered with equipment. That area doesn’t get washed as much and thus wears out quicker,” said Smith. “This will assist in preventing corrosion and extending the life of the truck.”
Smith said adding galvanization only increases the cost of a truck like this by about $4,000.
“It’s well worth the cost. In the next six to nine months, we’ll be delivering five more trucks that have been galvanized,” he said.
He said everything is enclosed, from the hose lines to the pump panels.
“When cleaned, it helps keep equipment better maintained. In addition to serving as a pumper and first-responder vehicle, it also features pump-and-roll capability. It’s limited to doing that in first gear but has that feature,” said Smith.
The new truck features the traditional black-over-red design and will replace the last remaining lime green truck and the first responder vehicle.
“The black-over-red color scheme, I’ve been told, is the result of a former fire chief’s owning a Model A with a black canvas top and red bottom. He wanted the trucks to match his vehicle,” said Smith.
The engine truck also comes with special lighting.
“It features LED lights — you have more lights using less power,” he said.
Lights are attached around several of the compartments, with extra space for things like hydraulic equipment used to extricate victims in car accidents, as well as firefighting gear.
The vehicle is designed to carry several firefighters in full turnout gear.
“It has an eight-man cab but for this one, some space is used for equipment, so the PIFD truck will fit six firefighters in full gear — that’s with self-contained breathing apparatus, complete gear. This is an increase of two additional seats compared to in the past,” said Smith.
Another added benefit is the communication system.
“The truck has an intercom system, which allows firefighters to communicate between the front seats and those in back. This enables crews to begin planning strategies for attacking fires before they arrive on scene,” Smith said.
Chief Darrell White, of the PIFD, was on hand for the arrival. He joined his crew in checking out all the new features.
“This truck cost a little over $530,000. It replaces Engine 6 and the converted ambulance we used as our rescue vehicle. We replaced two with one, which should save on such things as maintenance and fuel,” said White.
White said it will be about a week before the new truck is used to respond to a call.
“Each crew member will have to undergo one day of training, to learn all the ins and outs of the new truck. All shifts will need to complete training before we can put the truck into service,” said White.
White said plans are to sell the old equipment.