Fire department unveils new truck

Brand new, top-of-the-line, and state-of-the-art, the Crimson Fire pumper truck is the newest addition to the Fort Frances Fire and Rescue Service.
Fire Chief Gerry Armstrong said the pumper truck was delivered to the fire hall Monday morning, with firefighters expected to spend this week training on the new vehicle.
The public likely will see the bright red truck driving around town as firefighters run it through acceptance tests and get acquainted with it. Each firefighter will have to spend four hours on the vehicle before they’re permitted to operate it in service.
“Hopefully, we will have it into front-run service next week,” Chief Armstrong noted.
The new vehicle replaces the town’s 1977 pumper truck, which recently had broken down and the fire department couldn’t get the parts to fix it.
As well, after 30 years of service, the old fire truck no longer was recognized under Fire Underwriters Survey (FUS) requirements.
FUS is a national organization that provides data for fire insurance statistical work and underwriting, as well as advice to municipalities on deficiencies in their fire protection capabilities.
In addition to not being able to adequately service the town’s fire protection needs, not having a new fire truck would affect local fire insurance rates.
Now that the department has two pumper trucks (the other one being a 1995 model), the town is back up to where it should be with those requirements.
Chief Armstrong said the matter of getting a replacement for the old truck was urgent.
“We knew we were going to be under a water restriction this [summer] and we needed some dependable equipment,” he remarked. “I was adamant that if council wanted to buy this thing, we needed to get it here as soon as we could.
“We were really fortunate to come across a vehicle that was built,” Chief Armstrong added. “Often, if you were to spec out a new fire apparatus, 18 months to two years is not an uncommon wait while they build them.”
Chief Armstrong also said the new fire truck is heads above the 1977 model.
“The old one was push and pull levers, and required what we used to refer to as some real manpower, muscle power if you will,” noted Chief Armstrong.
“Obviously, in today’s world, we have computer operation and electronic switch operation, as opposed to the old manual lever, ‘leaky valve’ kind of scenario.
“It’s truly state-of-the-art.”
Clayton Herringa, of the Brampton, Ont.-based Dependable Emergency Vehicles, delivered the new vehicle. He also stayed here Monday to show firefighters its features and answer any questions they might have.
Herringa noted the fire truck is one of the newest models of emergency vehicles available. “It’s tax money well-spent,” he stressed.
One noteworthy feature is the “Boomer”—a newly-designed 28-foot water tower boom that is “recent technology for non-entry firefighting,” noted Chief Armstrong, adding it reminds him of the “Canadarm” on the space shuttle.
“In terms of fire apparatus it’s that kind of technology,” he explained. “It’s completely remote control—you don’t even have to be on the vehicle to operate it.
“For a non-entry kind of fire, where you’re not able to put firefighters inside, you could take that boom and deliver up to 1,000 gallons a minute wherever you want to deliver it, as long as you can reach it.”
The “Boomer” provides a 28-foot elevated master stream that can be rotated 360 degrees and elevated from minus-10 degrees to 90 degrees for greater reach.
It has a 1,000-pound lifting capacity, and a 4,500-watt light tower with adjustable lights to direct illumination where needed.
The truck’s fire pump is a Waterous 1250 IGPM with full stainless steel plumbing, and the water tank holds more than 1,000 U.S. gallons.
The truck also features a Spartan custom cab and chassis, which offers the highest level of safety available to protect firefighters, according to Dependable Emergency Vehicles.
With a cab-over design, it enables maneuverability packaged in a shorter length vehicle than available using a commercial chassis.
The body is a stainless steel structure mounted on a system that allows it to float above the frame rails—extending the body’s life and reducing the life cycle cost of the truck.
The truck also has a hydraulically-driven generator with an output of eight kilowatts, which does not take any compartment space away from the vehicle’s storage area.
Chief Armstrong said he’ll put on a demonstration of the new truck for the mayor and council, town senior management, and local media sometime this summer.
“We want to give people an idea of what the capabilities of this new vehicle are so they have some idea what they’re spending their money on,” he noted, though adding the demo probably won’t include spraying due to the water restriction now in effect until July 30.
(Chief Armstrong noted AbitibiBowater has allowed the fire department to use the mill’s hydrant system to run tests with the truck’s pump so as to not violate the town’s water restriction).
Chief Armstrong said the original plan was to buy a fire truck from a different company. But after finding out a new unit would not be available until late September or early October due to commitments for demo shows, he researched the availability of similar fire vehicles from other companies.
He learned about the new model of Crimson Fire truck from Dependable Emergency Vehicles, which not only could be delivered as soon as the first week of June, but was a better value than the one Chief Armstrong previously had been eyeing.
“We were really pleased with the service we got from these people,” said Chief Armstrong. “We were really fortunate this company gave us a great deal on this vehicle, I’ll be upfront about that.
“It’s worth a lot more than what the Town of Fort Frances paid,” he stressed.
The new fire truck cost the town $309,875.
Town council approved the purchase of the fire truck in the 2008 municipal budget, with $285,000 being financed through long-term debt and $25,000 drawn from reserves.