Three generations of New Castle firefighters said their goodbyes to a faithful engine at the Central Fire Station Monday. A 30-year-old engine with 86,000 city miles on it was one of two engines retired on Monday during an informal gathering hosted by chief Mark Panella at the Central Fire Station on South Margaret Street.
The event, which included a luncheon, was aimed at thanking a number of city officials and representatives from area businesses and organizations that helped the New Castle Fire Department recently purchase two new state-of-the-art engines and other equipment.
The old engine -- complete with open air jump seats that the National Fire Protection Association no longer approves -- was used by three generations of firefighters in the Bulisco family, including 22-year-old Marco Bulisco.
Bulisco said his father, assistant fire chief Tom Bulisco and his grandfather, former chief Jim Shaftic, who served at the department from 1973 to 1993, both used the 1986-era truck.
That truck was recently replaced with Engine 2407, a $420,000 truck that services the Mahoningtown station and that was purchased through a FEMA grant and a number of matching donations, including money from the Ellwood Group Inc., the Hoyt Foundation and Central Heating and Plumbing. Engine 2407 was put into service about three months ago, according to Panella.
Panella said he is working with a city police officer to donate that old engine to an overseas department, as FEMA does not allow any fire department in the U.S. to use an engine that has been replaced through its grant program.
A second engine -- a 1994 model with around 104,000 miles on it that served as the department's main truck -- was replaced with the custom-built engine 2402 just last month. Panella said the second new engine, costing around $700,000, was purchased through the savings the city realized after refinancing a bond. The new truck will also serve as the department's main engine, and is housed at the Central Fire Station.