Like its new fire station, the Central Cass Fire Department has been waiting for quite some time for its new engine to arrive.
That happened in June and the new truck should be fully operational by the end of July, according to Fire Chief Jeff Locke.
The department had its new engine on display during its open house and pancake breakfast June 24.
“It has been a long time coming,” Locke said. “We have been talking about a new truck for six or seven years now so it is finally nice to get it.”
Locke and several other members of the department made the 600-mile trek to Pennsylvania, where the truck was built.
“We drove out Father’s Day and inspected the truck the following Monday,” he said. “We thought we were going to get out of the plant at around 10 o’clock in the morning, but we ended up leaving the plant at 5 o’clock in the afternoon. We drove straight through and got here around 4:30 in the morning.”
Locke said the trip may have been long, but it will be a memory that they will carry with them the rest of their lives.
“It was worth going,” he said.
The new truck, which cost $528,353, holds the same amount of water (3,000 gallons) as the engine it is replacing.
The biggest difference besides the size, is that it is a top mount pump, which provides another layer of protection for the firemen.
“The other truck served us well for a long time,” Locke said. “With the top mount pump you get your pump operator off the road and reduce the risk of him getting hit along the roadway.”
It is a six-man cab and is roomy enough that the firemen can put their equipment on en route to the call. The cab is also enclosed. The former engine was not enclosed, which is now illegal to build and purchase.
It also has all the updated safety features.
Although the new engine is on station, the Central Cass Fire Department still has to train on operating it before it goes into full service.
Locke hopes that would be completed by the end of July.