By Karen Keller
The Herald News (Passaic County, NJ)
PASSAIC, NJ — The city finally has its new firetruck, after delivery was delayed because of a tragic highway accident in Pennsylvania.
“We were expecting it the second week of December,” said Fire Chief Patrick Trentacost.
The $816,000 vehicle replaces the oldest truck in the city’s six-vehicle fleet. It has an enclosed cab that will better protect firefighters from bad weather, Trentacost said.
Of the total cost, $423,000 was paid for by a federal grant. Taxpayers will pay the remainder.
On Nov. 22, the new truck was being driven to Passaic from Wisconsin, where it was manufactured, when a 41-year-old man stepped in front of it in northeastern Pennsylvania and was killed.
The truck was impounded by Pennsylvania State Police then taken to Plainfield for repairs, Trentacost said. He said damage was caused mostly from the tow truck and was minimal, affecting the bumper and the front grill. The city didn’t own the truck yet so it didn’t have to pay for repairs, Trentacost said.
The federal grant that paid for nearly half the cost of the truck stems from a 2000 bill sponsored by Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-Paterson, which was passed by U.S. Congress to aid local fire departments and emergency first-responder agencies. Since 2000, Congress has given $2.8 billion in aid to local first responders nationwide via the Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants, Gray said. This week, Little Falls was granted $115,000 to buy new power generators through the program, he said.
The city of Passaic received an additional $196,000 grant in 2002 to use for operations and safety, Gray said.
As he drafted the initial bill, Pascrell collected input from former city of Passaic Fire Chief Lou Imparato, Gray said ? “The Fire Act has roots back to Passaic,” he said.
The truck, one of two city trucks with a ladder, will reside at the city’s east side firehouse on Hope Avenue. The city’s four other fire trucks carry water and hoses. Six firefighters staff the new truck. It will be ready for use starting Jan. 29, according to plans, after firefighters are trained in its use, Trentacost said.
The truck that was replaced was 21 years old and “was having mechanical issues,” Trentacost said.
The city has 109 firefighters, down from 118 a year ago because of retirement vacancies that were not filled. Last year, the department responded to nearly 3,000 calls, including false alarms, Trentacost said.
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