The Medford (NY) Volunteer Fire Department, located in Suffolk County, is like most fire departments on Long Island.
Its response district is made up of numerous strip shopping centers, a few big box stores, lots of schools, light industrial complexes, condos, apartments, and single-family dwellings. It covers 10.8 square miles with a population of approximately 25,000.
To cover the needs of the community, the department responds out of three strategically located stations.
“The department decided to go with a second ladder truck, a quint, to catch up with other departments in the area,” says First Assistant Chief Kevin Hoffman. “ We felt that ordering a quint gave us the best of both worlds. This ladder responds out of a centrally located headquarters station and can operate as an engine if needed since it will respond first due on all structural fires and miscellaneous alarms, especially during daytime hours.” Hoffman adds his department, like most others, is experiencing reduced staffing, and he’s hoping the new quint will help relieve that dilemma.
Medford started planning for the new apparatus before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the specifications were drafted in January 2021 with bids following, according to Hoffman.
“Spartan met all of our specs and we decided to go with them again for this build,” he says. “We had dealt with Spartan and its local dealer, Hendrickson Fire Rescue Equipment, with several past apparatus purchases, so we were familiar with their operations.” He adds it was the sixth Spartan/Smeal purchase the department has made.
In July 2021, Hoffman and the district mechanic traveled to Spartan’s plant in Michigan for the cab and chassis inspection and traveled to the Smeal plant in Snyder, NE, for a midway inspection in December 2021 followed by a final inspection in April 2022, Hoffman says. “We were really impressed with both plants and the overall outcome of the vehicle,” Hoffman says.
1 The Spartan/Smeal 105-foot quint with a 2,000-gpm pump and 500-gallon tank. (Photos by author.)
Medford’s 105-Foot Quint
|
2 The officer’s side compartments with saws, extrication tools, and fans.
3 The driver’s side compartment with forcible entry tools, fans, RIT equipment, and engine company fittings.
4 The simple pump panel with crosslays.
Hoffman explains the department already had a 95-foot platform aerial quint in its arsenal, so the decision was made to purchase a rear-mount 105-foot aerial, which the department feels will have more reach and can access windows in dwellings more easily.
The apparatus is loaded with battery-powered fans and Hurst eDraulic battery-powered extrication tools. It also has 800 feet of 5-inch large-diameter hose (LDH), 200 feet of 1¾-inch crosslay, 200 feet of 2½-inch hose, and skid loads of 100 feet of 1¾-inch hose. The front bumper has a swivel suction with 5-inch LDH.
It’s also equipped with a complement of saws, forcible entry tools, rapid intervention team (RIT) equipment, as well as a collection of engine company tools and fittings. It also has a PTO-driven 10-kW Harrison hydraulic generator for added operation.
5 The rear compartment with the standard portable ladder complement.
6 The swivel front suction with 5-inch LDH.
“We really liked the Smeal 105-foot aerial, which, in our opinion, gives a strongly constructed steel aerial with a 750-pound tip load and an interlock at the tip for rescue or firefighting operation,” Hoffman says. “All in all, we are really happy with our recent addition, which should last us well into the future with the way our committee designed the vehicle. We planned for the future and have added compartment space for future use and any additional tools we may purchase in the future.”
The Medford Fire Department took into account the dwindling staffing problem plaguing many volunteer fire departments around the United States. It decided to go with a quint as opposed to a straight ladder truck for this new purchase.
Medford Fire Department
|
The quint gives the department the option of the vehicle operating as an engine should the incident commander decide to, depending on the fireground operation.
The truck was designed with both engine company and truck company tools for the two types of operations as well as added vehicle extrication tools for operation at the scene of an auto extrication.
The truck also carries a great deal of hose and supply line and could supply itself on the fireground if needed. The added compartment space will come in handy if additional tools are purchased in the future.
Proper preplanning for a large apparatus purchase is needed if you want it to turn out in your favor and last for the foreseeable future.
BOB VACCARO has more than 40 years of fire service experience. He is a former chief of the Deer Park (NY) Fire Department. Vaccaro has also worked for the Insurance Services Office, the New York Fire Patrol, and several major commercial insurance companies as a senior loss-control consultant. He is a life member of the IAFC.
