Botsford Fire Engine Combines Rescue And Pumper Functions

By Andrew Gorosko

In one 33-foot-long, 43,000-pound package, the United Fire Company of Botsford now has a combined rescue/pumper fire engine, which firefighters expect will serve the organization well, functioning as a versatile vehicle capable of multiple uses on emergency calls.

Botsford Fire Chief Wayne Ciaccia this week displayed the new town-owned fire truck known as Engine 551, which was delivered last fall and put into service at the Botsford Firehouse at 315 South Main Street (Route 25).

The Pierce-brand fire engine bears the distinctive yellow-green and white color combination used by Botsford fire vehicles. The town has four other volunteer fire companies — Newtown Hook & Ladder, Sandy Hook, Hawleyville, and Dodgingtown.

“We combined two into one,” Chief Ciaccia said, noting that Botsford firefighters sought to fuse the functions of two fire vehicles into one truck. The truck will serve as the fire company’s rescue vehicle, as well as a fire pumper truck. Curt Brackett is the truck’s engineer.

The company’s former rescue truck has been converted for use as a utility truck equipped with gear for emergency calls involving hazardous materials control. The pumper truck that the new truck replaces has been sold to a fire truck dealer.

The town spent $327,000 on the new fire truck, and the Botsford fire company spent about another $30,000 for the customized features deemed necessary for the vehicle, which is intended to provide 20 years of service, Chief Ciaccia said.

The front bumper section of Engine 551 is rigged with a large portable hydraulic tool that is used to extricate motorists trapped in vehicles following serious accidents. The front bumper area also holds a spool of fire hose that can be charged with either water or with firefighting foam. The bumper area holds a variety of hand tools used in motorist extrication work.

With such accident extrication gear readily available on the front end of the truck, firefighters can quickly start work to free trapped motorists after they arrive at accidents, Chief Ciaccia said.

The truck has a variety of specialized shelves and trays positioned around its perimeter, providing firefighters with quick, simple access to the many items carried on the truck.

The truck’s many pumper controls are positioned on a platform that straddles the truck’s midsection, rather than being located along one side of the truck. That control platform is situated atop the vehicle and will give the pumper operator a commanding view of the emergency at hand. The truck has a 1,500-gallon-per-minute pump, plus a 750-gallon water storage tank.

The truck has a spacious cab that holds six firefighters that is large enough to allow them to suit up inside the vehicle. The truck carries 2,650 feet of fire hose of various diameters.

The Botsford fire company, which has 35 members, houses five fire vehicles at its firehouse.

The fire company responds to approximately 300 emergency calls annually, Chief Ciaccia said. The new rescue/pumper truck will be dispatched to a large majority of those calls.

The fire engine carries a set of portable high-intensity lighting tripods to provide illumination at nighttime incidents. Firefighters also plan to install a lighting tower atop the truck.