South Otselic gets new $248,700 fire engine
SOUTH OTSELIC – Volunteer firefighters in South Otselic gathered at the station Saturday to get a first look at the department’s new $248,679 fire engine as it arrived from Elmira.
The South Otselic Fire Department is replacing its 22 year-old Pierce engine, the oldest of its two trucks, with a 2009 Pierce “Contender.”
Voters approved the new truck in December. The purchase was planned in accordance with a 20-year truck replacement schedule, fire officials said, and won’t increase fire district taxes.
“After 20 years you reach the point where it actually starts to cost you more to repair these trucks than it does to replace them,” said South Otselic Chief Jeff Hathaway, a 29-year veteran of the squad. “Replacing the old engine with the new one also allows us to keep our Class A pumper rating, which is how we meet our ISO insurance requirements.”
The new truck, a Kentworth chassis with a 360 horse motor, has a larger cab, sharper technology and more pumping capacity than the older model, Hathaway said. And having a five-man cab opposed to a three seater will allow the department to take out more volunteers in one truck instead of having to use two vehicles.
“It helps with the daytime manpower shortage,” said Hathaway. “There won’t be such a big push to get a crew out in a rescue vehicle. We can now fit the operator and two teams of two.”
A $60,000 down payment on the truck was made from a capital reserve fund for equipment, said Fire District Commission Chair Suki Fox. The remaining $188,000 will be paid off in annual installments over a 10-year period.
There are 40 volunteers in the South Otselic Department. Last year they went on 44 fire calls and 76 emergency medical service calls.
The truck being replaced, a 1987 Pierce with a Ford chassis, will be put up for sale in the coming weeks once volunteers are trained on the new engine. The department’s other engine, now ten years old, will become its secondary apparatus.
If one truck is on a mutual aid call, it’s important to have a back-up truck in case there’s a fire in the South Otselic district, fire officials said.
The new truck can hold 1,000 gallons of water and pump 1,250 per minute, as opposed to the old one, which held 750 and pumped 1,000 gallons per minute.
The truck was purchased through Tyler Fire of Elmira. Hathaway praised Tyler for its professionalism and cooperation throughout the process.
The South Otselic Fire Department is replacing its 22 year-old Pierce engine, the oldest of its two trucks, with a 2009 Pierce “Contender.”
Voters approved the new truck in December. The purchase was planned in accordance with a 20-year truck replacement schedule, fire officials said, and won’t increase fire district taxes.
“After 20 years you reach the point where it actually starts to cost you more to repair these trucks than it does to replace them,” said South Otselic Chief Jeff Hathaway, a 29-year veteran of the squad. “Replacing the old engine with the new one also allows us to keep our Class A pumper rating, which is how we meet our ISO insurance requirements.”
The new truck, a Kentworth chassis with a 360 horse motor, has a larger cab, sharper technology and more pumping capacity than the older model, Hathaway said. And having a five-man cab opposed to a three seater will allow the department to take out more volunteers in one truck instead of having to use two vehicles.
“It helps with the daytime manpower shortage,” said Hathaway. “There won’t be such a big push to get a crew out in a rescue vehicle. We can now fit the operator and two teams of two.”
A $60,000 down payment on the truck was made from a capital reserve fund for equipment, said Fire District Commission Chair Suki Fox. The remaining $188,000 will be paid off in annual installments over a 10-year period.
There are 40 volunteers in the South Otselic Department. Last year they went on 44 fire calls and 76 emergency medical service calls.
The truck being replaced, a 1987 Pierce with a Ford chassis, will be put up for sale in the coming weeks once volunteers are trained on the new engine. The department’s other engine, now ten years old, will become its secondary apparatus.
If one truck is on a mutual aid call, it’s important to have a back-up truck in case there’s a fire in the South Otselic district, fire officials said.
The new truck can hold 1,000 gallons of water and pump 1,250 per minute, as opposed to the old one, which held 750 and pumped 1,000 gallons per minute.
The truck was purchased through Tyler Fire of Elmira. Hathaway praised Tyler for its professionalism and cooperation throughout the process.
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