By Michael N. Ciampo
Hanover Township lies in the picturesque Wyoming Valley on the eastern bank of the Susquehanna River. It is tucked in between the cities of Wilkes-Barre and Nanticoke and has 11 villages, which are located in Luzerne County in the Northeast section of Pennsylvania. Early settlers once used these lands for farming but soon after learned that the area was rich in anthracite or better known as “Stone Coal” because of its toughness. The area was once rich in mining the material and originally was shipped on boats through canals until the arrival of train transportation. Unfortunately the material no longer is mined as it once was, but small areas still exist as well as abandoned mines, shaft ways, and tunnels beneath the earth’s surface.
In January 2018, the Hanover Township (PA) Fire Department had a ribbon-cutting ceremony and opened its new fire station, which cost $3 million. There were some slight delays in building the station because during excavation operations a large open shaft from previous mining efforts was located. Numerous tons of material were needed to fill the site so the station could be built. An old timer and neighbor to the station let the members know that years ago he could hear when mining was being performed under his home. Once the station was built, the department downsized from five fire districts and stations to three. The new station now has consolidated the Lee Park, Breslau, Hanover Green, and Preston fire districts. The Newtown district serves as the north station as the Warrior’s Run Borough serves as the south station.
Truck Company 4 is a 2008 KME Predator Quint, with a 75-foot aerial ladder, Hale 1,750-gpm pump, and 500-gallon water tank. It is powered by a Caterpillar engine and Allison automatic transmission. Its cab has seating for eight firefighters with six SCBA seats. The rig’s rear hosebed carries 800 feet of five-inch large-diameter hose. Located just behind the crew cab are four crosslay hosebeds. Three of the slots are handlines while the last is set up with a TFT Blitzfire portable deluge monitor. The front bumper has two handline options: a 2½-inch attack line is preconnected to the front gated wye, while the other is a 150-foot 1¾-inch Class B foam line with a POK piercing nozzle.
The rig is painted black over red with the aerial ladder also being painted black. The aerial has large gold leaf Hanover Township Fire Department signage attached to both sides of the bed section of the aerial. It’s ROM roll-up compartment doors aren’t painted, but the rig’s black reflective striping runs along the lower side of the front compartment where it transitions diagonally upward and runs towards the rear of the apparatus. The striping is a large black stripe that has a narrow stripe above and below it, it runs along the lower side of the rig’s crew cab. On the two rear side and back-step roll-up compartment doors, large T-4 stickers are attached. The T-4 signage is also attached on the ends of the front bumper. On the crew cab doors there are gold leaf Maltese crosses, and on the front cab door signage states Hanover Township Fire Dept. The front chrome grill has gold leaf Hanover Twp that splits it into an upper and lower section. The rig also boasts a dedication plaque to the members who had the foresight to recognize the need for a ladder apparatus “for the good of the community.” The department’s apparatus also have th