Engine 53 is housed in the new Station 53 on Industrial Park Road.
As department personnel waxed and polished the truck on Faulkner Street, New Smyrna Beach Fire chief Dave McAllister looked pleased with the latest addition to the fleet. “The taxpayers should be happy with this purchase,” McAllister said. “We’ve replaced two aging trucks with this new one, reducing maintenance costs and eliminating redundancy.”
McAllister said the primary use for the new truck is for rescue purposes and not just fighting fires.
“We have more rescue calls than fire calls,” the chief said. “But we have all of the firefighting equipment on board as well. We’re adapting to the times and becoming more efficient in how we respond to emergencies. This one new truck allows us to do just that.”
The city commission approved the purchase of the new truck in April at a cost of $402,500. One of the trucks it replaced was an aging 1987 fire engine that was already out of service.
“We also sold another truck that was still serviceable, but needed some work,” McAllister said. “We put some money into it so we could get more for it.”
The 2010 model is custom-made to fit the needs of the city. “No two trucks made are alike,” McAllister said.
Engine 53, the city's new fire and rescue Pierce Arrow truck, is custom-made. plaque on the side of the new 2010 Pierce Arrow fire truck has the names of the mayor and city commissioners on it.
The city ordered the truck earlier this year after putting a down payment on it and then they waited for delivery. The chief said the city’s order was put on a waiting list.
“As soon as someone in front of us (on the list) got their delivery, ours moved up the list,” he said.
James Roberts, driver and engineer for the fire department, said the new model was made to perform easier maintenance on it and had all of the newer safety standards. McAllister said among those new standards were better construction and materials and proper EPA emissions.
“It’s one of the top models out there today,” McAllister said. “But by no means is it the most expensive. It’s still a middle-of-the-road model.”
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Dale Smith is a resident of New Smyrna Beach, who has reported on local news in Volusia County since October 2009. His writing background includes a mix of journalism and public relations in several community newspapers and a p.r. firm in northern Virginia. He attended Barton Academy in Barton, Vt., and the Cambridge (Mass.) School of Broadcasting for radio & TV broadcasting.