According to a report from Tri-County Weekend, the Elk Run Volunteer Fire Company (ERVFC) in Punxatawney, Pennsylvania, recently received a “new” fire engine from a donor in town that has ties to a Long Island, New York, fire department that was on the frontlines during the attacks of 9/11.

The tactical rescue truck was originally in service with the East Farmingdale (NY) Fire Company (EFFC), located on Long Island. The vehicle was one of the first responder engines in New York on 9/11.

The ERVFC first made the announcement on its Facebook page three weeks ago.

ERVFC Assistant Chief Josh McAfoos said an anonymous individual in town had offered the department the truck, knowing they needed one, and the department accepted. as it will help to keep the miles down on the newer engine, helping it last longer.

ERVFC Captain Randy Wright said this individual donor often goes to auctions and has donated trucks to other local departments as well. The truck came with Hurst rescue tools and class B foam, which the department didn’t have before and will be helpful when the ERVFC needs to respond to fires at nearby Punxsutawney Airport.

The truck came from the Lick Hill Volunteer Fire Department (LHVFD) in Butler, Pennsylvania. When some ERVFC members traveled to Butler to see the truck, the LHVFD members shared its history with them.

Seven EFFC died on 9/11. The apparatus was used as a tactical rescue truck that only responded to building collapses while in New York.

McAfoos and Wright also said tat, considering the history of the vehicle, the new addition will have a special place in their hearts, and EFFC members have been appreciative of the interest the ERVFC has shown in the history.

The EFFC had an image airbrushed on the truck’s side to honor the seven men who died.

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According to a report from The Siskiyou News, at a meeting that also welcomed two new members to the department, Yreka (CA) Volunteer Fire Department (YVFD) Chief Jerry Lemos announced that the department’s new fire truck should be delivered by the end of June.

Lemos said that Pierce Manufacturing is currently building a new Freightliner FXT 3,000-gallon water tender at its facility in Appleton, Wisconsin, to replace the YVFD’s 12-year-old Seagraves Attacker. 

The Yreka city council approved the engine purchase at its last meeting. The council had previously approved selling the Seagrave Type II four-wheel drive pumper engine, which was starting to have issues.

The cost of the new tender is approximately $450,000. Lemos said the new engine would bring the YVFD more versatility to better reach and attack fires. 

At the same meeting, Lemos also welcomed Robert Goyeneche and Lawrence Morris as the latest members of the YVFD.

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According to a report from The Post-Journal, the Westfield (NY) Village Board is considering a resolution to allow the Westfield Volunteer Fire Department (WVFD) to apply for a $625,000 2020-21 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant to replace its 1996 E291 Pumper-Tanker engine.

The tanker is the oldest engine in operation for the WVFD, being in active service for 25 years.

Although WVFD officials remains hopeful they will be receive the FEMA grant, they face competition in acquiring new vehicles, while the part of the grant for vehicles is a low percentage of the entire grant. The board needed to approve the grant because, per the grant’s terms, there would be a required five-percent match of the grant from the community, totaling $31,250 in additional funds the community would be expected to foot.

The motion for approval passed through the board, although the WVFD has not laid out an exact timeline on when they’ll find out if or when they’re actually approved. The board is also looking into other possible grant options.

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Ed Ballam is the newest member of the Clarion Fire Group family after being named the new Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Senior Editor.

Ed is the assistant chief of the Haverhill Corner (NH) Fire Department and a nationally registered emergency medical technician. He is also a deputy forest fire warden for the New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands.

He has been a journalist and an editor for more than 35 years, including working nearly 25 years for national fire trade publications. He was the original managing editor of Fire Apparatus magazine from 1997 to 2008.

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