By Jason Dunovant
The Roanoke Times
ROCKY MOUNT, Va. — The Rocky Mount Fire Department’s two newest fire trucks will hit the roads starting next week, battling blazes and responding to emergency calls.
A Pierce Enforcer pumper/ tanker arrived at the firehouse last month. It’s the second of two new fire trucks for the department. A Pierce Enforcer mid-mount tower truck arrived in July.
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Firefighters have spent the past few weeks training and equipping the vehicles with plans to have them ready for service as early as Monday. Their debut is just a few days away after years of waiting for the vehicles to be constructed and delivered.
The department’s new ladder truck allows volunteers to reach taller buildings for rescues and fighting fires from above. The ladder extends to 100 feet — 15 feet longer than the previous ladder truck — and has dual nozzles to provide fire suppression from above.
The new tanker truck delivered last month can hold up to 3,000 gallons of water and can pump out up to 2,000 gallons a minute. It also holds a significant amount of storage for a variety of extrication tools often needed in car crashes.
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Rocky Mount Fire Department Chief Justin Woodrow said the new tanker truck is equipped to handle anything they respond to. Volunteers will have everything they need at their disposal.
“This truck gives us tools to answer any call that we could be called for. There is equipment on this truck to take care of it, requiring only manpower, not multiple apparatus,” Woodrow said.
The new tanker truck will replace two older, 1,000-gallon fire engines owned by the department that were due for replacement. Woodrow said the new truck can hold more water and provide more equipment than the previous two trucks.
The new tanker truck cost the town $1.1 million. Woodrow said that if they would have ordered two fire engines to replace the two that were due for replacement, it would have cost Rocky Mount about $850,000 each.
The new tanker truck only needs a small crew to respond to emergencies, Woodrow added. That can help at times when the volunteer department has limited people available.
“In the volunteer world, during the day when we are slower on turnout, we now have one truck that can do everything and requires less manpower,” Woodrow said.
Similar to the ladder truck delivered earlier this year, the new tanker truck will also have a wide array of safety features to protect volunteers responding to calls. Woodrow expressed his appreciation for the Rocky Mount Town Council and their willingness to provide additional funding for the new fire trucks to assure they are as safe as possible.
The new tanker truck includes anti-roll features, front and side airbags, plus multiple features that allow the vehicle to stop quickly.
Woodrow said he puts an emphasis on protecting his volunteers to assure they can do their job protecting the community.
The tanker truck at $1.1 million, along with the $2.4 million ladder truck, signify a significant investment in the Rocky Mount Fire Department . Woodrow said the two vehicles were specifically designed by his department to assure they will be able to handle the needs of the community for the foreseeable future.
“These trucks will serve the community for well over 20 years,” Woodrow said.
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