Back on October 22, firefighters working out of the central station were moved to Fire Station No. 2 on Sparta Road.  

The Farmer Environmental Group was hired to conduct environmental testing in the building because of excessive humidity and moisture in the building that was discovered during an assessment of the operation of the heating and air conditioning system. 

The areas affected included the firefighters sleeping quarters

According to Fire Chief John Alcaidinho, the sprinklers in the administrative area were installed and connected to two water tanks, but the ones in the section that houses the vehicles can only be used if the system is hooked up to a fire truck to pump water.  

Alcaidinho said the original thought was to hold off on connecting the sprinkler to the cistern because Unitil is expected to upgrade to three-phase electrical lines on Merrimac Road at some point in the future and the improvement would determine the type of pump system needed.

The St. Clair Fire Department just got a new custom Rosenbauer pumper truck, which includes that throwback to the history of firefighting on its driver's side bumper.   

The St. Clair Area Fire Authority began the design process for the truck about two years ago and it cost about $578,000, to be paid for out of the agency's equipment budget and through financing.   

The truck holds about 1,000 gallons of water and carries about 1,700 feet of hoses. It carries six firefighters at a time.

The Deputy Director of Fire Services, David Wooden, said that this is a 20-year investment and it will greatly improve service to the community.

 

The department hopes to have Tower 8 in service in January once all crews are trained on how to use it.  

“It will better fit our needs than the previous ladder. We want to give the community the best protection we can,” Wooden said.

He added that the new truck is also outfitted with the latest technology, and can pump up to 2,000 gallons of water per minute.