According to Phoenix police, an ambulance got dispatched to a call. While the first responders were pulling out of the fire station, they heard a large thud. The crew saw a backpack and realized an individual was hit. 

The six-wheeled, all-wheel-drive utility vehicle is roughly the size of a Mini Cooper but can carry EMTs and a patient on a full-sized cot through tight spaces or even off-road.  

The vehicle, a MedStat ASAP MS250, will be used mostly for large events, Fire Chief Nate Trauernicht said.

The engine can carry 1,000 gallons of water. The Delaware Township Fire Company had two engines. The one they gave to the center had been for sale for awhile, but there were no “serious bids,” said Wisniewski. Consequently, the department was “more than kind to us,” Wisniewski stated.  

The pumper has been refurbished. Fire engines can be quite old, as one at the center was from 1983 and was later refurbished in 1991. There are other fire apparatuses 40 years old, that he said some stations actually have in service or use for parades.

The new fire truck, Squad 1, is manufactured by Spartan/Smeal and replaces the old 2005 Marion Quint engine. The department awarded the bid in early January for a total cost of $625,000, an amount planned for in the fiscal year 2017-’18 capital improvement plan.  

Fire Chief Matt Marcarelli said because his department is considered an all-hazard fire company, this engine helps firefighters respond to not only fires, but EMS calls, motor vehicle accidents, hazardous spills, and any other incident the department might be called out for.