New truck expected for next June
By: Jessica Beym
Cranbury Fire Chief Sam DiStasio said he is hoping to have a new 2007 Pierce combination pumper and rescue truck in the firehouse by June.
The Township Committee on Aug. 28 awarded a contract to Pierce, a fire equipment manufacturer in Wisconsin, for the $650,000 truck.
The truck, which will replace a 1976 pumper truck and a 1985 ambulance that carries rescue equipment to car accidents, will be paid for by both the township and the fire company over a 10-year period.
In March, the township entered into a capital equipment lease program with the Middlesex County Improvement Authority. Through this, the township will make annual payments of 10 percent to the MCIA and would own the truck after 10 years. Township officials have said they are able to take advantage of lower interest rates offered to the county through the program.
The fire company said it would contribute $150,000 by foregoing $75,000 of its annual budget allotment from the township for the next two years. Township officials said the money would be put toward the annual payments.
Chief DiStasio said the fire company would buy any other extra equipment for the truck, such as nozzles and hoses.
"The primary job of this truck is to replace the older 1976 engine," Chief DiStasio. "As years go on, we have to keep the equipment updated to meet the (National Fire Protection Association) standards."
Some of the features of the new truck include an enclosed six-person cab for volunteers to ride in a standard set by the NFPA. Each person riding in the cab will be able to be seated and have a seat belt, and also have an airbag.
"The truck we’re replacing is not an enclosed cab and that’s one of the requirements NFPA has," Chief DiStasio said. "That’s what we’re trying to do by upgrading our equipment comply with the standards and make sure our members are safe."
In addition to carrying 830 gallons of water, the truck will be equipped with 70 gallons of two different kinds of foam one can be used to better fight wood or paper fires and the other for fires ignited by flammable liquids.
Once the 1976 pumper truck is replaced, the fire company plans to donate the old truck to a parish in Louisiana, Chief DiStasio said. The ambulance would continue to be used to transport equipment when needed.
Chief DiStasio said he plans to visit the Pierce manufacturer at the end of November to finalize the details and set a date when they can expect the truck in Cranbury.
He said the new truck would likely cut down on response time to car accidents because, instead of sending two trucks a pumper truck and the ambulance with rescue tools only one truck would respond.
Because the ambulance has racked up a lot of mileage, the vehicle was becoming harder to maintain and sometimes wouldn’t start right away, Chief DiStasio said.
"We’ve been able to keep it maintained and to use it for what we need it for, but we also have to look into the future that at some point it’s not wise to keep putting money into it," Chief DiStasio said. "The primary use for this vehicle is to combine two aging vehicles."