Derry (PA) Volunteer Fire Company’s new engine rescue truck arrived Aug. 26, making it the first new truck for the department since 1994, LatrobeBulletin.com reported Wednesday.
The new truck has turned a lot of heads. It also has the department’s members wanting to get in and try it out, the report said. A fire official said the firefighters feel like kids at Christmas.
The nearly $1 million truck would not have been possible without the community’s generosity, the fire official said. The truck is a symbol of the hard work everyone put in to make it a reality and the generosity of the community, the report said.
Even though it is still weeks from responding to its first call – equipment needs to be fitted and firefighters need training on its operation – the truck has become a point of pride for the department, the report said.
As an engine rescue truck, the fire apparatus comes equipped with a 500-gallon water tank. Water pumps on the truck are able to hook up to fire hydrants and push water out at a rate of 1,500 gallons a minute, according to the report.
New hoses will be added to the truck (and all of the fire company’s trucks) due to a federal grant it received last year. The department and seven other local volunteer fire departments will soon be outfitted with new radios thanks to a nearly $800,000 grant awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency two weeks ago, the report said.
Members of the community will be able to check out the new fire truck at the Derry Railroad Days Sept. 17-18. The fire department will be selling hot dogs and hamburgers.