The Sayville (NY) Fire Department has been progressive through the years when it comes to apparatus purchases.
The response district is pretty diverse, according to Commissioner Don Hodgkinson. “We have, like most fire districts on Long Island, the usual strip shopping centers, schools, apartment complexes, light industrial, and a large waterfront area,” he says. “Our response area is 4.5 square miles with a population of 15,000 residents but is very compact.
“Designing a fire apparatus to meet our needs has always been a priority for us,” he continues. “Going back to 1985, our fire district purchased a demo Mack Baker 75-foot tower ladder. It served our needs well for the time. In 1998, we had Pierce refurb the body to prolong the life span of the apparatus.”
Hodgkinson adds that in 2010, since the rig was still in good shape and because of the cost of purchasing a completely new tower ladder, the department decided to go with Pierce once again and have the boom and outriggers taken off the original Mack chassis and have them refurbed and installed on a completely new Pierce Velocity chassis and cab. “We won an AFG grant for some of the cost, so it worked out well for us,” he says. The department was accustomed to the operation of the boom and jacks and felt that this was the right way to go for ease of operation and training for its members. “Never did we expect it to last another 13 years,” Hodgkinson states.
In 2021, the department’s members discussed purchasing a new platform since the older tower had served the department well, and costs were beginning to rise as well as delivery times. “So, we decided to purchase a new unit, also constructed by Pierce, since we have been a long-time customer and have received great service by their local dealer Firematic,” says Hodgkinson.
This time the department designed a 100-foot quint. It had never had an aerial with a pump on it before but felt it had more capabilities. Hodgkinson says, “We have a great deal of Queen Anne-style homes in our response area, so the additional height was a plus also. Even though we don’t plan on having it respond as an engine, if it happens to arrive first, we can pump. It can also supply itself and lay in its own supply line if needed.” Resale value was another reason Sayville decided to go with a quint.
“With all of these reasons a plus for us, in the long run, we don’t plan on changing our fireground operations because of the specs on the new apparatus,” says Hodgkinson. “We have more compartment space on the new ladder and carry a great deal of tools and equipment. The truck is set up with the HURST Jaws of Life eDRAULIC extrication tools, DeWalt battery-powered hand tools, TICs, battery-powered fans, Sawzalls, water rescue equipment, chain saws, two K12 saws, gas meters, hot sticks, FAST equipment, and some tools from the old truck.” Hodgkinson says the biggest challenge for the department was ensuring there was enough space to fit everything it wanted since it also had a pump and tank on it. “But, we managed it all,” he says. “The truck has a 2,000-gallon-per-minute (gpm) single-stage pump with a 300-gallon polypropylene water tank, 400 feet of 1¾-inch hose, 400 feet of 2½-inch hose, and 800 feet of 5-inch large-diameter hose.”
1 The Sayville (NY) Fire Department’s 100-foot Pierce Ascendant quint has a 2,000-gpm pump and carries 300 gallons of water. (Photos by author.)
2 The quint features a small pump panel and crosslays of 400 feet of 1¾-inch line and 400 feet of 2½-inch line.
3 The rear of the rig’s bucket with an Akron manual deck gun and a complement of ground ladders.
4 The officer’s side compartments carry water rescue equipment, battery-powered fans, extinguishers, saws, a portable generator, and portable lighting.
5 The driver’s side compartments carry saws, engine company fittings, FAST equipment, a Little Giant ladder, and HURST Jaws of Life eDRAULIC extrication tools.
The truck carries a 16-foot roof ladder, a 20-foot extension ladder, two 24-foot extension ladders, one 28-foot extension ladder, one 35-foot extension ladder, two 10-foot attic ladders, and a Little Giant Ladder Systems® ladder. The bucket has an Akron manual deck gun, and the truck was designed using 100,000-psi high-strength steel. The four-person ergonomic basket has a 1,000-pound dry tip load, has chamfered front corners, and is easily accessible from the ground.
The aerial features five heavy duty high-strength steel ladder sections, a 150-pound additional equipment allowance at the tip, dual swing-in doors, a side-mounted waterway, –200 below-grade operation, and quick deployment speed.
The committee traveled out to the Pierce factory for a final inspection with virtually no changes to be made at that time. Firematic did all the tool and equipment mounting. “Overall, we were very satisfied with the build and have been training on the new truck and have recently put it in service,” Hodgkinson says.
Aerial Platform Quint
|
6 The 1985 Mack that had a refurb of its body in 1998.
7 The 2010 refurb had the boom and outriggers removed from the Mack and reconstructed on a new Pierce Velocity cab and chassis.
The Sayville Fire Department was proactive in refurbishing its older aerial platform, choosing Pierce to refurbish the vehicle twice during its time in service. After gaining a great deal of time before it had to purchase a brand new truck, it designed a quint that will give the department more firefighting capability, longevity, and resale value in the future.
In this time of apparatus cost, and delivery time and supply chain uncertainty, you have to decide whether it is feasible for your department to refurbish or buy a new apparatus. The cost and apparatus delivery times have put a great deal more stress on fire departments across the country.
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.
