The South Pigeon Lake Fire Rescue has been boosted in late 2018 by the arrival of a new fire truck.
The truck, which arrived at the fire hall near the Village at Pigeon Lake Sept. 25, is a brand-new, made-to-order Rosenbauer TME pumper based on a Freight-liner chassis.
The truck was not immediately ready for service, as certain parts required installation and personnel from Rosenbauer, the company that built the truck, plan to hold a detailed presentation for the fire department to become more acquainted with the truck.
South Pigeon Lake fire chief Wayne Benson said at the hall Sept. 25 it was nice for the department to see the brand new truck firsthand and still get familiar with some of its modern capabilities.
The truck itself carries about 1,000 gallons of water, and is capable of pumping up to 6,000 liters per minute.
The truck features many modern abilities, such as an automatic foam-making system; previously, firefighters would have to hand bail to make foam, but the truck will handle those duties now. Benson said this helps keep firefighters energetic at the scene of an emergency, as they don’t get exhausted by manual labor of that type.
Another great feature is the truck’s automatic hosebed cover. With just the push of a button, the hoses stored on top of the truck are revealed as the top opens automatically.
The new truck also has lots of equipment storage, lots of lights, a turbo-charged Cummins diesel engine, an Allison 3000 evs automatic transmission and much more.
Benson noted this is the first brand new pumper truck that South Pigeon Lake has received since 1981.
The fire chief’s impression of the new truck: “Pretty impressed.”
Stu.salkeld@pipestoneflyer.ca