LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Fire Department's first new truck in 20 years has arrived.

 

The brand-new 2016 Emergency-One Typhoon was delivered to headquarters on Friday and will serve as the new frontline vehicle for the volunteer Fire Department.

 

The engine replaces a 29-year-old E-One, which will be sold. The town had stashed some of its free cash aside for the last three years to make a large down payment and financed the remainder. The truck cost $475,500.

 

"The town has been putting money away, putting money away, putting money away to come up with three-quarters of the money to buy it and they financed only $128,000," Fire Chief Charles Durfee said. "We tried for a grant but got rejected."

 

With approval to move forward from town meeting, Deputy Chief Jeff DeChaine crafted the specifications with Greenwood Fire Apparatus, the vendor out of North Attleboro. The new engine has significant upgrades in safety features, compartment space, and is more user-friendly.

 

"One thing we did want was the top-mounted pump. A lot of engines you see the handle is on the side. We've always had the top mount. We like it because the pump operator has a better view of the scene from up there," DeChaine said. "We were trying to get an engine that was as short as possible but still had the top mount pump. The other was compartment space. In the design, there is 10 times the compartment space and they carry pretty much the same amount of water."

 

DeChaine said the department loves the 1987 E-One it currently uses as a secondary engine but the time has come to replace it — so they went with the same model, just newer.

 

"We have a very stringent preventive maintenance procedure but as time goes on, I don't care what it is, if you have a 30-year-old car it doesn't matter how well you take care of it you are going to have to work on it. It is important for what we do. If somebody is on the other end of that hose it is important that the thing runs," DeChaine said.

 

Durfee said the department spent some $7,000 last year just to keep the '87 truck on the road until the new one arrived. The new truck was built from scratch over the last 11 months according to the department's specifications.

 

"This will be our frontline, first engine out. Engine 2 used to be the frontline piece," DeChaine said.

 

Durfee said the truck is much safer for firefighters and includes an enclosed cab. The former truck was only partially enclosed. The truck also doesn't require a generator and will have lights much brighter than the older one without having to run that extra piece of equipment. And being a little bit shorter, the engine has a slightly smaller turn radius.

 

"This is the new version. It is a fully enclosed cab instead of a partially enclosed cab. This truck has compressed air foam, that truck doesn't because they didn't have it back then," the chief said.

 

The additional compartment space also means the first engine out can carry more equipment, so some tools from the secondary engine will be transferred to the new truck.

 

In about two weeks, the engine will go into service, after training is completed, decals are switched, and equipment is fully loaded. The 1996 International currently on the frontline will become the secondary supply pumper. That engine was purchased brand new, replacing a 1972 pumper truck. The International is next on the docket to be replaced.

 

"Twenty years is the standard by National Fire Protection Association. You really have to follow it but it is a guideline. We've kind of just been behind because the money is never there. We are trying to catch up. We are replacing a 30-year-old piece when we have a 20-year-old piece that really should be replaced. That is going to be 25- or 30-years-old before that gets replaced. We're trying to crawl out of a hole so to speak," DeChaine said.

 

Greenwood Fire Apparatus officials were at the headquarters on Saturday to provide the first round of training to about a dozen firefighters. 

 

"Today is training day. We all get to learn how to operate it and we will do a little practicing with it. Eventually we will get it into service. We are probably still a couple weeks out before we put it into service," DeChaine said.

 

Greenwood is brokering a deal to sell the old truck because the trade-in value for the '87 wasn't much.