The Mentor Fire Department recently added two engines to its current roster and is awaiting the delivery of a breathing apparatus/rehab truck, News-Herald.com reported.
Mentor 1157 is a heavy rescue/special services unit which officials noted is the only such vehicle in the region. In late 2019, the city was awarded a federal grant providing up to $545,454 toward the purchase of this vehicle with a city match of just over $54,000, according to the report.
The city also accepted delivery of Mentor 1133. The cost was $602,000 and was paid for from the Mentor fire levy, the report said.
A fire official said 1157 is equipped with special lighting, a breathing air cascade system, confined space rescue capabilities, heavy rescue equipment special torches and cutting equipment, concrete saws, jack hammers and special heavy-lifting equipment, ropes for high-angle recuses, winches for extrication and complex transportation accidents and an array of tools, according to the report.
A fire official said rescue fire engine 1133 was custom built by Sutphen Monarch, the report said. It is a 2,000-gallon-per-minute pumper with special rescue capabilities. It carries rescue tools, consisting of the new generation jaws of life which are light-weight battery-powered cutters and spreaders for motor vehicle and industrial accidents; has full fire-fighting capabilities; and will be staffed by paramedics and outfitted with state-of-the-art advance life support equipment making it a rescue/fire engine.
The department is also receiving a new breathing apparatus/rehab truck that will be used to fill air bottles and provide support services at fires and at other hazardous zones, the report said. This truck, which will replace a 1985 vehicle, cost $277,316 and was 100 percent covered by grant funding.