Brunswick to purchase new fire truck

BRUNSWICK — The city is working on adding a new fire truck to its fleet. Brunswick City Council passed a resolution on Monday authorizing the city manager to purchase a Pierce 100-foot heavy-duty aerial tower and 70-inch enforcer chassis with associated equipment from Atlantic Emergency Solutions Inc. for an amount not to exceed $2.5 million. Brunswick Division of Fire Chief Greg Glauner said the department has a 75-foot Pierce aerial ladder truck that was purchased in 2009 for just under $600,000. "When the ladder was purchased, it really was undersized to begin with, but as I understand it, we sold our 100-foot aerial ladder," he said. "Brunswick Hills at the time had a 100-foot aerial ladder, so the thought of a regional plan came into play. Then, shortly after we bought this truck, they got rid of their ladder and never replaced it, so the community was without adequate protection for some time." The department's 18-year-old ladder truck is in need of repair, Glauner said. There is rust on it, and the doors need to be replaced. "Parts are becoming hard to get," he said. "We just replaced two cylinders that lift the aerial ladder up, and they had to be custom made." The current truck could only be housed at Station No. 2 because it could not fit into Station No. 1, yet it was not big enough to service some buildings in the city, Glauner said. The new truck will have greater reach for buildings such as hotels and apartment complexes. "It's got a 100-foot reach on it," he said. "It's got a tower, a platform, instead of just the aerial ladder at the top, so they can work off that at elevated heights. There's breathing air in the tower, so if they're fighting a fire in the industrial parkway or whatnot, they're able to breathe fresh air." Other features of the new truck include four-wheel drive, a pump and the ability to transport firehose and hold water. Glauner said it will also can carry more than just a 24-foot extension ladder. "It holds a 35-footer, a 28-footer, a 24-footer, four roof ladders and a jack ladder," he said. "Those are very important. I think the bread and butter operation of a fire department is to be able to pick ground ladders up and move from window to window, from balcony to balcony." The delivery time frame is expected to be 13 to 15 months, Glauner said. "I think this is something the community greatly needs," he said. Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.