The South Windsor (CT) Volunteer Fire Department protects more than 25,000 people living and working in a 28.5-square-mile-area. Approximately 130 members, all volunteers, work out of three stations.
In addition to the staff officers and line firefighters, the department has a Support Unit (Company 6), a Fire & Life Safety Education & Community Outreach Support Unit, and an Explorer Post (Company 5) for members under 18 years old. The Department operates five engines, one aerial platform, one heavy rescue, a utility truck, and one marine unit.
“Our response area consists of farmland, residential area, light and heavy industrial with warehousing, an interstate highway, and senior housing,” says Paul Soderberg, the department’s apparatus committee chairman. “Our department started looking into replacing our older heavy rescue, which was a 1996 walk-around unit.”
According to Soderberg, the department has a 20-year replacement program for apparatus that is updated every five years. “The town manager and council have visibility of the plan, and they support the replacement of vehicles in a timely fashion,” he says. “We are lucky in that the town has been extremely supportive of the needs of the fire department.”
The committee began planning for the purchase in 2019. The specification/purchase was managed by a nine-person apparatus committee, consisting of five core committee members who manage all apparatus deliveries and four members who will manage and operate the vehicles.
1 The South Windsor Fire Department’s Pierce Velocity walk-in heavy rescue. (Photos 1-3 courtesy of Pierce Manufacturing.)
2 Officer’s side: A Genesis tool, portable generator, cribbing, saws, transverse RIT compartment, hand tools, and extinguishers.
3 Driver’s side: Compartments with struts, cribbing, SCBA bottles, air bags, forcible entry tools, a Genesis tool, and a Little Giant ladder.
“This time around, we wanted to transition from a walk-around to a walk-in rescue,” Soderberg says. He explains that there were several factors driving this decision, including the following:
- Eliminate climbing to the top of the vehicle to retrieve equipment.
- Reduce risk of water damage from top compartments.
- 15% increase in storage space, improved access, improved use of space.
- Body change from an 18-foot box to a 24-foot box but with same vehicle footprint.
- Better weight distribution because equipment is lower in the vehicle.
- Temperature-controlled area for cold-water rescue suits, medical equipment, and rope rescue equipment.
- All scene lighting 12-V, minimizing the load on the generator and allowing a 10-kW configuration.
- Hydraulic tool reels eliminated. The vehicle is equipped with a combination of rechargeable tools and a second set powered by a gas power unit.
“For this project, we looked at four local deliveries and evaluated the combination of chassis/body manufacturers,” says Soderberg. “We decided to go with a solesource manufacturer, so we would have one set of warranty terms for the configuration exclusive of OEM components.”
Included in the bid specification was an allocation for material and labor because of the amount of custom equipment mounting that was required. “Our committee planned out all of the compartments looking at local deliveries and at various trade shows before we met with the local dealer and Pierce,” says Soderberg. “We took photos to see how the mounting of tools and equipment would look and if it would be properly sized in the various compartments. We also sat in various floor models as well. Pierce won the bid, and we were very happy dealing with Firematic, Pierce’s local dealer. Plus, the fact that they had a service center within 30 miles of our station made service after the sale great. All of our questions and concerns were answered at all times.”
4 The rig’s portable 9,000-pound Warn winch. (Photos 4-5 courtesy of Firematic Supply Co.)
5 The rescue truck’s interior bench seat with webbing for holding equipment on shelves and SCBA holders.
The apparatus committee traveled to the Pierce factory in Appleton, Wisconsin, three times for preconstruction, mid construction, and final inspection. It had 600 inspection points for the visits, with the only changes being some cab switches and controls. “The build turned out really well and our committee was happy with the outcome,” Soderberg says. The truck was delivered in 2023.
The South Windsor Fire Department took a very systematic approach in planning for its new heavy rescue. It determined what its needs would be, went from a walk-around to a walk-in rescue, and had it built by a solesource manufacturer. The apparatus committee, though large, had specific goals it wanted to accomplish. Equipment mounting was well thought out and completed by the local dealer. The committee designed a highly functional vehicle that will last well into the future.
BOB VACCARO has more than 50 years of fire service experience. He is a former chief of the Deer Park (NY) Fire Department. Vaccaro has also worked for the Insurance Services Office, the New York Fire Patrol, and several major commercial insurance companies as a senior loss-control consultant. He is a life member of the IAFC.
