
The Edgecomb Fire Department’s new truck, Squad 4, in front of the fire station. The fast-attack vehicle was delivered April 2 and put into service the night of Monday, April 15. (Jessica Clifford photo)
The Edgecomb Fire Department’s new “fast-attack” truck is in service as of the night of Monday, April 15.
The truck arrived April 2, according to Fire Chief Roy Potter.
Voters approved the purchase during a special town meeting in June 2018.
The vehicle, named “Squad 4,” will become the first vehicle firefighters take to any call, Emergency Management Agency Director Bill Witzell said. “We will equip it to handle everything,” he added.
The $247,670 vehicle has a 2018 Ford F-550 truck chassis with a 1,500-gallon-per-minute pump and a 300-gallon water capacity.
The company HME Ahrens-Fox Inc., of Wyoming, Mich., built the truck, while Lakes Region Fire Apparatus Inc., of West Ossipee, N.H., added finishing touches, such as customizing compartments and doing lettering.
Due to the relatively narrow and short size of the vehicle, Witzell said, it will be able to access small spaces and driveways.
“We put together a list of things that we wanted the truck to be able to accomplish, and we did that before we even started searching for a truck,” he said. “This here basically checked all the boxes. It was the best possible match for what the town needed.”
“This will serve the town for many years,” Witzell said.
Before the truck could be put into service, members of the fire department had to be trained and certified to use the vehicle. The vehicle also needed to be stocked with everything from extrication equipment to breathing apparatuses.
“This truck is going to be a great improvement to the town and the fire department,” Potter said. “It’s something that’s reliable, and we are able to replace two older trucks with one new truck.”
The department intends to sell two older vehicles – an early ’80s rescue truck and a mini-pumper, Witzell said.