St. Joseph Fire Department welcomes new Engine 5, replacing 25-year-old truck
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- The St. Joseph Fire Department welcomed its new Engine 5 fire truck with a traditional push-in ceremony Tuesday morning.
Firefighters performed the traditional wet-down ceremony, spraying the new truck with water.
The community joined firefighters for a wipe-down ceremony and the push-in tradition, helping push the truck into the station marking its official day of active service.
The original Engine 5 served the community for 25 years before being replaced. Fire Chief Ivan Klippenstein said the truck offers newer technology compared to the other trucks in the department's fleet.
"This truck has a 2000 GPM pump, a 2000 GPM waterway, which is 500 more than what we're accustomed to," he said. "There's also a 100-foot tower ladder instead of a 95-foot tower ladder."
Engine 5 is a rear-mount truck and will be able to work hand-in-hand with other trucks to better support firefighting and rescue operations.
"What we have now is a rear and a mid. The two can work hand in hand together and perform different operations," Klippenstein said.
The new truck will be dependable when it comes to emergency response.
"When they get in it will start, they can get down the road, we know the ladder will go into service, and we can use a elevated master stream, which is the most important portion of this truck," Klippenstein said. "That carries a great deal of equipment, probably carries 25% more equipment than we did in our last truck."
The new truck also offers many safety features for the firefighters operating it during a time of need.
"When you're lifting a large piece of equipment, as the aerial is there are many things on it to protect it from going left into the body or right into the body," Klippenstein said. "It also makes sure that the weight distribution at the end of the ladder is not exceeded, and if it goes out to the side of the truck, it makes sure that the stability of the truck is in order."
In addition, the new truck will be able to assist with larger fires in the community.
"Any of our fires, like we saw the church fire a couple weeks ago or the Downtown fires where there are large buildings. Hopefully we don't see any of those again, but if we do, we need additional water delivery," Klippenstein said. "The quicker we can get the right amount of water onto that fire to extinguish it, the better off we are, and this one would be a great improvement towards that goal."
Klippenstein said that while a majority of SJFD trucks have an average life expectancy of 20 years, Engine 5 will serve the community for the next 25 years.
