WAXAHACHIE (TX) - After a year of planning, design and cultivating input from firefighters, Waxahachie's newest fire engine was ushered into service earlier this month. While the total cost of new apparatus and equipment is about $750,000, the engine's features are designed not just to incorporate the latest technology but also to be practical and easy to operate.
“We requested money in the budget for a new engine last year. We formed an apparatus committee each time. This apparatus committee is comprised of three fire personnel on shift, which is usually engineers because they are often involved more in the operation of the apparatus, and then myself and the chief,” Waxahachie Assistant Fire Chief Randall Potter said. “This engine that we are about to put into service is a pretty radical departure from the norm of what we have been operating. In the old style of engine, if pump maintenance had to be done, they had to take side panels off or crawl underneath or worm their way down through there. This engine you tilt the cab and the engine is exposed. That means less downtown and less maintenance costs. It is easier to work on.”
Waxahachie Fire Department Engineer Scott Safford, who served on the apparatus committee, shared Potter’s thoughts having everyone's input in the design before it was built. Safford said all opinions were invaluable because they could see what ideas would work in the design, which idea did not fit and what new items they wanted to incorporate.
Potter said the new engine also features more storages space for tools and equipment and gives about 50 percent more storage capacity than previous models operated by the department.
“We have got tall roll up doors where it is easier access in and out of the compartments. It has saved compartment space. It is easier to get equipment in and out of the compartments,” Potter said. “We looked at it and went and visited a couple of other departments that are using them and looked at theirs. We talked to the guys that use them and asked them what they think. We got a good review on the equipment.”
Potter said work on the design started in October of 2015 and was completed in April. During this time, firefighters worked with a sales representative from Pierce Manufacturing.
In April, a trip was made to the Pierce factory in Wisconsin for the pre-construction meeting. During the two-day trip, additional changes were carried out before the design was finalized and signed off by Fire Chief Ricky Boyd. The truck was placed on the line to build, and construction of the vehicle started in August.
The new fire engine replaces one that has served on the frontline for the past 11 years. The former front line engine replaced a 22-y
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Posted: Dec 5, 2016
Barton Chevrolet-Cadillac in Newburgh, N.Y., is housing a nearby volunteer fire department for a year while the department's station house is being rebuilt, saving taxpayers about $100,000. Barton Chevrolet-Cadillac is saving taxpayers in Newburgh, N.Y., about $100,000 by letting a local fire department move in for a year while the department's station house is being rebuilt.
All that dealership owner Ron Barton wanted in return is that the firefighters try not to scare his service technicians and customers when an emergency call comes in.
"They usually get out of my parking lot before they start hitting the sirens," Barton said.
The situation was made possible by some fortuitous timing and General Motors' dealership standardization guidelines. It shows that dealers don't always have to write a check to make a big contribution to their community.
Barton had just finished an extensive renovation of his 44,000-square-foot store this summer when he learned that the nearby Good-Will Fire Department was searching for temporary quarters. To comply with GM requirements, part of Barton's project involved moving the service lane next to the showroom from an adjacent building that houses the service bays.
That meant Barton suddenly had a long corridor with a high ceiling and big overhead doors on both ends available, and no immediate plans to reuse it.
"We tried some other places to see if they would let us use their facility, but Mr. Barton offered it up to us to use free of charge until we have a new firehouse," said Good-Will Fire Chief Ray VanInwegen. "He's been very nice. He just said, "Use my building as long as you need it.'"
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Posted: Dec 5, 2016
A fundraiser held on Sunday was a chance to show the community how the Roseland Volunteer Fire Department works.Members of the small volunteer department cover an area 17 miles long and 10 miles wide.They say training equipment and recruiting are essential
That's why they're saving up for a new fire house, so they can keep up to date on training in a safe area under one roof.
“We get more room in here, we'd use it more for training facilities in the wintertime instead of doing it outside. We do it inside in the winter if we can stay indoors in the winter instead of being outside when it's dark out otherwise and just don't get done,” said Randy Klein Roseland, Chief, Volunteer Fire Department.
The event was a free will donation soup supper which is just the start towards their goal.
They say it was also a chance to thank the community for past support.
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