 |
|
|
| Michelle Tuccitto, Register Staff | December 07, 2000 |
|
|
|
| Fire company ecstatic over new vehicle | ||||||||
|
| BRANFORD — After 41 years, Indian Neck/Pine Orchard Volunteer Company 9 finally will have a brand new fire truck. |
| The Board of Fire Commissioners has unanimously approved the $216,797 bid package of Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp. of Nesquehoning, Pa. The fire department expects the new truck to be delivered within about 90 days. "It has been a long time coming," said Company 9 Capt. Michael Mullen. "The members are all excited. It’ll be safer — because it has more water and a bigger pump, and everyone can sit inside." Some firefighters now have to sit outside, in back of the current truck. The last time the company had a new truck was in 1959, he said. Fire Chief Peter Buonome said he wanted to have a new truck at department headquarters instead. "I would have preferred to have it go to the career staff, which responds to 2,500 calls a year, as opposed to this volunteer company, which goes to about 140 calls per year," said Buonome. Buonome said he supports a system of buying new trucks for headquarters, then sending the department’s used trucks to the less busy companies. Company 9 has been using a refurbished 1977 truck, which will become a spare once the new truck arrives, Mullen said. Fire Commissioner Robert Massey Jr. said the department received four bids, and Kovatch submitted the lowest. "That district was long overdue for this," said Massey. "This truck will feature all the newest technology." The truck has a capacity of 1,500 gallons and can carry six passengers, Massey said. Funding for the apparatus has already been budgeted, he said. |
| İNew Haven Register 2001 |