By Richard Kaufman
Sentinel Reporter
The Greenwich Fire Department entered its newest crown jewel into service this week, as Truck No. 1 officially joined the rest of the fleet.
The new truck, a 2017 Pierce Aerial XT 95-foot Mid-Mount Ladder Platform, was manufactured in and delivered from Appleton, Wis., back in November. But the road to Greenwich took some time.
“The whole process took two years,” said GFD Lt. Dennis Frulla, who was a part of the six-person
selection committee. “The diversity of the committee allowed us to take a broader view of what we were getting.”
Frulla said the committee looked at ladders in Bridgeport, Stamford and even Secaucus, N.J., before deciding on an apparatus that best fit what Greenwich needs.
Frulla noted that the truck is very versatile and can handle operations from King Street to Old
Greenwich to the Backcountry. “It’s going to be town-wide,” he said.
It cost just north of $1 million and is equipped with several key safety features which were absent on the truck its replacing. The old truck was in service for 16 years, which is about the projected life expectancy.
“I was working when the other trucks came in [16-17 years ago],” said firefighter Steve Casner. “This is going to be nice. This pretty much keeps you from getting in trouble. It definitely has a lot of features the older trucks don’t have.”
There are numerous cameras on the truck, allowing firefighters to have clear views of their surroundings and where their equipment will go when approaching or leaving the scene of an accident or fire.
Lasers project out onto the road surface to show where the firefighters should place their ground pads. The pads prevent asphalt from cracking and absorb the shock and force of the four outriggers, or stabilizing jacks, which are deployed to steady the truck when the ladder is in use.
The ladder can extend to 95-feet above the truck and rotate 360 degrees. In the bucket, sits a panel that can control the water stream from a nearby nozzle, which would come in handy if the firefighters needed to get above a large fire and spray water down below. The bucket has a wireless microphone which communicates to the firefighter on the turntable at the bottom of ladder, and it also has an air supply feature.
Rescue operations can also be conducted from the bucket, allowing firefighters to walk down to the roof of a building. The Stokes Basket can also be deployed to rescue those in distress.
Along with the ladder, there’s an additional 150-200 feet worth of extra ground ladders stored in the truck. There are copious amounts of equipment compartments, rendering the truck more ergonomic than its predecessor. There is even an EMS compartment, equipment for cold-water rescue, and rope for high-angle rescue.
The truck is also more environmentally friendly than the old one, since it features Diesel Exhaust Fuel. DEF is a urea and deionized water mix which is sprayed into the exhaust stream to break down dangerous nitrogen oxide emissions into hydrogen, already a part of the environment. Gone are the days of big, black smoke emitting from the exhaust.
But even though it’s a brand-new truck, Frulla said it’s not for show.
“There are not a lot of frills on this, to be honest with you. Not that it’s bare bones, because it’s one of the better manufacturers, but there’s not a lot of extra bells and whistles. This is built to work and work 24/7,” he said, noting that 12 firefighters will be assigned to the truck full-time, with three members to each crew.
An employee from Pierce, in Wisconsin, flew in and trained approximately 70-80 Greenwich firefighters. The lessons focused mostly on the setting up of equipment and making sure the firefighters understood how the safety features work. There will be additional tactical exercises in the spring.
Frulla said the department is excited to have such an important piece of equipment that will help keep the town of Greenwich safe for years to come. He said he doesn’t see the department making another purchase of this caliber any time soon.
“These guys take a lot of pride in it,” he said. “It’s a big responsibility, too. It’s a big piece of equipment. It does a lot of things for us.”
