By Bob Vaccaro
The Kings Park Fire Department located in Suffolk County’s western end. It provides fire and EMS services to not only Kings Park, but also the areas of San Remo and Fort Salonga. It encompasses 6.2 square miles with a shoreline against Long Island Sound.
It is noted for its state parks, schools, and light industry as well as strip shopping centers, and restaurants. The Kings Park State Hospital complex, which is a series of vacant buildings, takes up real estate in the community as well.
The fire department operates with five companies. Company 1 and 2 provides the engine companies; Company 3 has a heavy rescue and tower ladder; Company 4 Fire Police; and Company 5 is a medic company that provides EMS with three ambulances.
According to Commissioner Bob Lee, “Our fire district usually replaces fire apparatus in the department at the 20-year mark. Previous to the purchase of this new ladder tower, we purchased a 1997 Mack Baker with a 75-foot boom. In 2015 we had it refurbed and had the boom and outriggers placed on a Pierce Velocity Chassis.
“During the past few years we started having issues with the boom controls and thought it was time to replace it with a new truck with a 100-foot boom to better suit our response area. We had reach problems with our older vehicles boom, so we decided to go with a bigger boom primarily with the state hospital buildings which were significant in height.”
In 2014, the department purchased two Pierce Velocity pumpers to consolidate the chassis and cabs. This made all the controls and operation in the cabs of the vehicles the same. It also made training easier.
After looking at several types of ladders, the department chose the Pierce Ascendant. It had a smaller wheel base, which improved maneuverability in the response district.
“The vehicle is a lot easier to jack with a one-button operation,” Lee said. “And the truck has a great deal more capabilities than our older ladder had.”
The compartment space is about the same with the new truck, but the department downsized the amount of equipment it carried. The department ordered smaller battery-powered fans and is presently demo-ing three different battery-powered extrication equipment.
“The pump is new for us – we never had a quint before – so we will operate a little differently,” Lee said. “We plan on carrying a supply line, not a great deal of hose for attack lines.
“What we really liked was that Pierce sent an engineer directly from the factory that was a specialist on the Ascendant. He trained our firefighters on all of the operating systems of the vehicle over a two-day period. I thought this was a great move by Pierce. Also, our salesman, Ray Mueller, had a vast knowledge of the operation as well. It made our guys a great deal more comfortable operating the ladder.”
A proactive fire department planned ahead for the purchase of a new ladder truck. It ordered what the department thought would work in the response district. Simple operation, shorter wheel base with greater maneuverability, and a longer reach for the boom were its concerns. Those concerns were satisfied with the Pierce Ascendant. Proper training by Pierce and its local dealer sealed the deal.
- Pierce Velocity® eight-person cab. Front and side roll protection
- Acendant 100-foot HD Aerial Tower
- Actual Height 10 feet, 10 inches. 78,000-pound gvw
- Wheel base 262-inches
- Cummins 565-hp X15 engine
- Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmission
- TAK-4® independent front suspension, 24,000 pounds
- Rear suspension 54,000 pounds
- Pierce Command Zone electrical system
- Waterous 2,000-gallons-per-minute single stage pump
- 300-gallon water tank
- Whelen LED light package
