Cranbury recently purchased a 40-foot-long 500-horse power fire engine.
By: Matt Kirdahy
The 40-foot-long 500-horse power Pierce Manufacturing Co. fire engine rolled into the Cranbury Fire Station lot on Aug. 22.
Assistant Fire Chief Michael Kervan was there to meet with Dave Neuber of Pierce, the Appleton, Wis.-based company that built the $814,000 truck.
Mr. Neuber said the vehicles can cost as much as $1 million. Residents will get to see the truck at the Fire Department’s open house on Oct. 5.
Mr. Kervan said he expects to have the vehicle ready to go by Labor Day weekend. The Fire Department is waiting on some additional equipment and to have its volunteers trained on the new truck before it can be used.
Mr. Neuber stayed in town for the weekend to run some drills with the firefighters.
"This machine has all of the latest advanced electronic and safety features," Mr. Neuber said. "The truck seats eight firemen and is capable of pumping 2,000 gallons of water per minute."
He added that the exhaust system is environmentally friendly. It recirculates the engine’s emissions, limiting the amount of pollutants the truck dispenses into the air.
To test the new truck’s tower, that looks like a large white ladder, Mr. Kervan controlled four stabilizers from the rear of the truck. The steel stabilizers extended from the sides of the truck and planted firmly on the ground. This would support the weight of the tower when it is extended to its maximum 100 feet in length at 75 degrees.
"That bucket at the end of the tower can hold up to 1,000 pounds," Mr. Neuber said.
Mr. Kervan said Cranbury rarely needs the tower on a fire call.
"It’s used for a house that is set far back from the road and access to certain areas of the fire is limited," Mr. Kervan said.
The only other truck with a tower the township owns is 40 years old. Before the township purchased the new truck, the department relied the tower trucks of other fire departments.
"Before we got this truck we used mutual aid, where we put in a call to a neighboring town," Mr. Kervan said. "If we needed a tower, they would come."