Boardman fire department gets new truck

Staff report

BOARDMAN

More than a year after a rollover crash totaled a township fire engine, the fire department has a brand-new one to replace it.

Firefighters this week traveled to a Columbus suburb to pick up the new truck from manufacturer Sutphen Co.

Fire Chief Mark Pitzer explained the yearlong process of getting a new truck was due to the fact that there are only a handful of firetruck manufacturers in the country. Those companies custom-make each engine to meet the specific needs of a department.

Since the November 2014 accident in which a truck crashed into a telephone pole near the intersection of Shields Road and Lockwood Boulevard, the fire department has been using a rented truck. Insurance covered that cost, as well as the $470,000 cost of the new truck.

The new engine, which will be based out of the main fire station on U.S. Route 224, is the first new one the department has gotten in 10 years, Pitzer said. It will be first in the line-up to respond to calls.

“It is definitely much-needed,” he said.

The truck joins a rotation with four other engines. This one will be the fire department’s primary rescue responder, Pitzer said, as it will carry equipment such the “jaws of life” that is used to extract people from wreckage, and rope-rescue supplies. Its other features include a raised roof that allows more room for passengers, a larger cab, a foam system that is used in cases such as hazardous-waste spills and more.

The department now is working to get the engine outfitted. It’s expected to be in service in a few weeks.