(4/1) After nearly two years of hard work and research, the Fairfield Fire
and EMS Department welcomed their brand new fire engine last September. The
fire truck was officially dedicated during the department’s Open House held in
October. Deputy Fire Chief, Adam Jacobs, was recognized at Fairfield Fire
Department’s banquet for all of his efforts in procuring the new engine.
Last summer, after twenty-two years of dedicated service, Fairfield Fire
Department’s old 1996 rescue engine was sold to another Fire Department in Port
Treverton, PA. The old engine now dons the colors of its new home, but will
never be forgotten by the members of the Fairfield Fire Department, to whom it
so faithfully served for so many years. With the farewell of the old engine
came the welcoming of a new one, which will serve the department for many years
to come.
The department’s new fire engine came all the way from Appleton, Wisconsin
where it was designed and constructed. This Pierce Puc rescue engine has the
capacity to hold 1,000 gallons of water, is equipped with a complement of
rescue tools, medical equipment, supply lines, portable winch and LED lighting.
The compartments within this new engine also allow more storage for tools and
equipment, and overall provide more room for fire fighters.
From start to finish, the process to procure the new fire engine took close
to two years, noted Deputy Fire Chief, Adam Jacobs. Jacobs kicked off the
project by researching other fire engine models, specifications and evaluated
the needs of the department. Throughout the research phase, Jacobs talked to
numerous manufacturers to garner information and "create" the department’s new
engine. After researching, a fire department committee travelled to Wisconsin
to speak with the manufacturers and approve the engine design before
construction would take place. Once the engine was complete, the committee
ventured back to Wisconsin to perform their final inspection of the finished
product.
From Appleton, the engine travelled to Lancaster where it underwent its last
phase of construction. Manufacturers at Glick Fire Equipment fabricated and
mounted the fire department’s tools within the interior of the vehicle, and put
the finishing touches on the vehicle. Once complete, the brand new engine was
ready to make its journey to its new home with the Fairfield Fire Department.
The department was proud to say that with careful planning and lots of hard
work, the nearly $710,000 engine was already completely paid for through the
department’s capital campaign budget. Although the capital campaign budget
funded the new engine, the funds would not have been available had it not been
for all the fundraising efforts the department has throughout the entire year.
Volunteers in the Fairfield Fire Department, and across many small fire
departments in the country, rely on fundraising efforts to fund large purchases
such as this new engine. Fairfield hosts bingos throughout the year, every
Thursday and the first Friday of each month, along with other fundraisers such
as their gun feeds and wings feeds to help save funds for the capital campaign
budget. Without these fundraisers, and more importantly, without the volunteers
who make them possible, the department would not be standing today.
Our local fire departments are always looking for volunteers and we
encourage all of our readers to reach out to their local fire department today
to learn how they can to become involved.