The 5-ton former Army truck — used at Fort Lee, Virginia — was donated to the department through the N.C. Forest Service Volunteer Fire Assistance Program.

They picked up the truck in December of 2013 and began conversions the following month, completing the build in July, with all the work being done by the department and select members of the community.

“I’ve got blood, sweat, tears and a little bit of everything in that truck,” said Assistant Chief Franklin McKay, who wired “every inch” of the vehicle. “I did the initial drawings…we didn’t vary much from it.”

They outfitted the truck with a 2,000-gallon tank, which carries the most water of any of the department’s vehicles, after taking off the bed.

The chief said most departments leave the bed on, but by taking it off, it lowers the weight and center of gravity, “which is always good.” Franklin McKay added that they wanted to go with a long, narrow tank to help with the weight distribution.

After completing most of the body work, the truck was sent to Piedmont Correctional Facility to be painted. The chief said he wasn’t initially thrilled with the darker red color, but has since gotten used to it.

It came back on March 1, 2015, was in service 10 days later, but wasn’t used in its first fire until June — before it had flashing lights or striping, and only had one hose.

Greenfield Township Fire Department recently purchased two pieces of equipment totaling nearly $600,000 to help accommodate its four-person crew.

The largest purchase was a combination rescue truck/fire engine, which the township purchased through a three-year tax levy. The combination truck cost about $558,000, which is significantly more than what a standard fire engine would have cost the township. The department's last fire engine is about 20 years old and cost $164,000 at the time. The station's current rescue truck, which the combination truck will also be replacing, is 16 years old.

Greenfield Township Chief Terry Morris Sr. said it was time for the department to replace aging equipment, and it was an opportunity to purchase something better that fit its needs.

Whether it's a medical call, fire or crash, multiple emergency response vehicles are called to every scene. And, with a four-person crew, not all three pieces of equipment — engine, rescue truck and medic — can leave the station at one time.

"The biggest thing is the manpower," Morris said. "We would normally have to wait on mutual aid (for a rescue truck). If you need rescue tools, it's because you're trying to save someone. (The new combination truck) is everything we need on one truck."

The new truck will cost the department $95,000, which at first seemed to be an insurmountable amount of money. However, a local bank financed it for the Salado department at a very low interest rate, Berrier said.

OFD Fire Chief Kevin Salerno said the EMS truck is the “workhorse” of the department, responding to more than 1,800 calls a year. The new truck will be used in response to medical calls, but will not be used for motor vehicle accidents according to Salerno as a converted engine to rescue pumper, which also has rescue-supply materials will be used specifically for accidents.

Along with emergency medical supplies and dressings, the new EMS truck has the ability to accommodate multiple generators on an as-needed basis.

The previous truck had exceeded its 10-year life expectancy, and was rusting out.

Salerno said typically, trucks in the OFD fleet are replaced every 10 to 15 years.

The City of Oneida borrow money to pay for rescue truck with municipal bonds, a move anticipated by the city budget for 2015. Salerno said he first put in a request for the new vehicle at the end of 2014.

The chief said the amount received for the old EMS truck was a pleasant, but unexpected surprise.

Read more

• 368
• 0
• Article rating: No rating