Greenwood County Fire Service starts rolling out new trucks
A plan a year in the making is coming to fruition, as new firetrucks make their way into stations throughout Greenwood County.
In 2018, County Fire Coordinator Steve Holmes made a request that county council purchase 16 new vehicles by borrowing against the capital projects sales tax collections. These new trucks replace part of an aging fleet, some trucks of which are averaging nearly 30 years of wear and tear.
“What we tried to do is replace all units that were 25 years or older,” Holmes said. “Hopefully, they will stand up better to daily use.”
Even some of the fire service’s newer trucks are causing problems, like the 2014 International trucks whose specialized engines, in an attempt to meet emissions standards, have cost the county in repairs. Over the lifespan of those engines, Holmes said he’s spent about $60,000 in repairing them.
The new trucks include new tankers, engines and brush trucks, along with two new aerial ladder trucks placed near industrial areas where they’re likely to see more use. The brush trucks are replacing existing trucks that were 1980’s models on lease from another agency.
The fire engines being replaced were commercial trucks outfitted for firefighting, while the new ones were custom-built for the fire service. With that, Holmes said they’ll be better suited for the intensity of use the trucks will see daily.
“Last year I spent over $200,000 fixing firetrucks, and that’s keeping what we’ve got on the road,” he said.
The way the trucks are being distributed follows the fire service’s eight-year plan, and Holmes said the placement of each truck and the planned locations of new fire stations were carefully considered to distribute the available resources and ensure that 99% of the people living in the county will be within five road miles of a fire station.
As for the new trucks themselves, the firefighters at the Coronaca station on Highway 246 have answered a few calls with the new trucks. James Hedrick said the ride feels smoother, with better handling.
“It allows us to be more confident in our equipment,” he said.
Taylor Davis at the station said the LED lights on the trucks will be easier for motorists and pedestrians to see coming, and the pump on the tanker pushes out water better than the previous truck. Each morning, it takes the crew about half an hour to check all their equipment and make sure everything is in working order — the new trucks should make that process even smoother, Davis said.
“There was a lot of maintenance on the older trucks that we were having issues with, and hopefully that won’t be the case with these,” he said.
Originally Published by Index-Journal on:Sep 26, 2019
By DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ ddominguez@indexjournal.com