The new fire truck, worth $1.2 million, will hit the streets next year after the city was included as one of four NSW locations to receive the cutting-edge firefighting technology.  

Two of the trucks will go into operation at Blacktown and Liverpool fire stations in February, after Fire and Rescue NSW crews complete the training required to use them.  

Another two vehicles will be delivered to Wollongong and Newcastle later in 2018.

This five ton vehicle replaced a 1970 military 2 ½ ton vehicle. Firefighters formed a committee to research and locate the proper vehicle. They then painted and fully outfitted the truck with the necessary equipment and tools to put it in service for the town.  

The truck carries 635 gallons of water and has a separate foam cell. The fire pump can draft water from a pond or river and the truck carries 400 feet of hose located on two electric reels. The pump has capabilities to supply other vehicles if needed during forest fires.

With the daily wear and tear and harsh weather conditions in Erie, Chief Guy Santone says it's time to update the fleet.  "It's not like driving a car, when these trucks go out they are pushed... they are worked hard,"  Santone expressed the need for a new truck at the department's budget session with City Council last week.    

 A new rescue pumper or tower truck can cost anywhere from $750,000 to $1.2 million completely outfitted. "We would like to get on a program where we get a new fire truck every four years.  They were receptive to that and to what I had to say," Santone tells us.   

But the trucks are not only getting older, they are getting more expensive to fix.  Mechanic Judd Spaulding says, "they have 50 to 60 thousand miles on them but they are city miles, full throttle to complete stop, it's not highway easy miles on these trucks at all".