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Date: 6/25/2015
LONGMEADOW – The town’s approximately $750,000 Quint fire truck recently arrived to the Fire Department, which has begun training firefighters in its use.
Interim Fire Chief Andrew Fraser told Reminder Publications the department would begin utilizing the Quint fire truck for fire emergencies and rescue operations likely at the end of July.
“This truck definitely ramps up our capability as to what we can do in a building fire situation,” he added. “Whether we have people that need to be removed by an aerial ladder or if we need to use an elevated water stream to put the fire out, know we have the capability to do both.”
Fraser said what sets the Quint truck apart from a standard fire engine is that it is a “multi-functional vehicle” with a pump, a water tank, hose, a 78-foot aerial ladder, and ground ladders of varying lengths.
The aerial ladder allows firefighters to reach the upper stories of building that would be out of reach of a standard ground ladder and reach buildings from the street, he noted.
“The difference in cost is principally because of the aerial ladder capabilities that it has,” he added.
There is a permanently mounted ladder pipe on the Quint truck that has a flow capacity of 500 to 1,000 gallons of water per minute, Fraser said.
The new Quint fire truck replaces the more than 25-year-old Engine 3, which was sold to a government surplus website for $6,800, he added.
On June 10, the Quint was delivered to the department and the first order of business was to place and mount equipment on the truck, Fraser said.
“The next step is a basic training provided by the dealer staff,” he added. “It’s a two-day training that all members attend. Following that, there are a series of check offs that all department members must complete to demonstrate their proficiency in the various systems on the truck.”
Training staff from Greenwood Emergency Vehicles of North Attleboro, the Quint’s dealership, would return to the department once all of its members complete their check-off list of requirements regarding their knowledge operating the fire truck, he noted.
From July 20 to 21, Greenwood Emergency Vehicles staff would also train firefighters in advance ladder operations, Fraser said.
Funds for the Quint were derived from $90,000 donated by Bay Path University, Jewish Geriatric Services, and Glenmeadow Retirement Community during the last several years.
A total of $325,000 was from a fire truck savings account and $425,000 was available from treasury funds.
The Quint was approved for purchase at the Nov. 18, 2014 Special Town Meeting.
“We would like to extend thanks to all the residents who voted to approve this,” Fraser said. “We were really gratified to see the large number of residents that stuck it out until the end of the meeting.”