The Ridgefield Fire Department's new No. 2 engine - a 2016 4 Guys/Spartan rescue-pumper - is a shining example of the digital revolution. Equipped with a 750-gallon water tank, a 10-gallon Class A foam tank and a 20-gallon Class B foam tank, the new apparatus's pump panel - the control center for water, foam, tachometer, and volume - is mostly electrically operated.
“Even the engine throttle is an electric push-button affair,” said fire Chief Kevin Tappe, going over the vehicle’s features.
He explained to The Press that Class B foam is necessary for flammable liquid fires — such as gasoline, diesel fuel or oil — and that Class A foam is a wetting agent that reduces the surface tension of water, allowing it to penetrate objects deeper and thus extinguish fire faster in combustibles like wood, paper and furniture.
“This is important for us, since we respond with very limited staffing and must do more with less,” he said. “The fire pump is a 1,500-gallon-per-minute pump.”
The rescue-pumper will be located at the department’s Ridgebury station and is equipped to handle that terrain better than a lot of its predecessors.
“Even in Ridgebury, where there is no Verizon signal, we have built-in cell phone extenders in the new engine in order to reach hard-to-access cell locations,” Chief Tappe said.
“Another technology addition is the use of iPads on all of our apparatus to store water source locations, pre-plans, and Knox-Box locations,” he said.
Seeing double
Tappe said the new No. 2 engine was built to resemble “as closely as possible” the department’s No. 1 engine at fire headquarters on Catoonah Street.
According to the chief, this helps
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Posted: Nov 7, 2016
The 1941 GMC pumper was brought by flatbed to the Germantown firehouse on Saturday, more than 50 years since the truck was sold by the department to the Squantz Engine Company in New Fairfield. "It's a piece of our history from our community and one of the first pieces of apparatus that the department purchased," said Germantown Fire Chief John Cole.
After more than five decades and countless hours of service, one of Germantown Volunteer Hose Company’s first trucks has made its way home.
The 1941 GMC pumper was brought by flatbed to the Germantown firehouse on Saturday, more than 50 years since the truck was sold by the department to the Squantz Engine Company in New Fairfield.
“It’s a piece of our history from our community and one of the first pieces of apparatus that the department purchased,” said Germantown Fire Chief John Cole. “We are really excited that the truck is home again.”
Germantown sold the truck to the Squantz company around 1960. The truck was in regular service in New Fairfield until about 1983, when it was pulled from the line and used for local parades and other charity events. But an engine problem five years ago caused the truck to sit on the sidelines - until now.
“We’re hoping, and it’s a big hope, that we can have the truck running again in time for the Memorial Day parade,” Cole said.
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