Hiller firefighters unveil new $320,000 combination pumper/foam truck
LUZERNE TWP. – An estimated 200 people, three to four times the number expected, turned out to see a recent demonstration of a new firefighting truck at the Hiller Volunteer Fire Department. “We had figured if we had 50 or 60, it would be good,” said Fire Chief Pat Ballon.
Ballon said local residents, as well as members of surrounding fire departments who wanted to check out the new truck, attended the open house.
The $320,000 vehicle shoots foam, as well as water, from its hoses, changing the way fires are fought and greatly reducing the amount of water needed and the weight of the hose, Ballon said.
“Digital readouts tell exactly how much water and foam are being used. It’s amazing how fast everyone can grasp it,” he said.
Four junked cars were available on-site for training. Ballon said each vehicle was set on fire twice to give all the firefighters present an opportunity to use the foam system.
“It gave the guys a chance to see how quickly the system reacts,” Ballon said.
He said that fighting a car fire by using conventional methods takes three or four minutes to get the flames under control and another 12 minutes to put the fire out.
“We have a 750-gallon tank on the old truck. We usually use the whole tank plus 200 gallons from another truck,” Ballon said.
The foam system greatly reduces the amount of water used and the time it takes to extinguish a car fire. The first training fire required the most water, with 52 gallons logged, but Ballon said that included checking the nozzle. The remaining practice fires were extinguished using 40 to 45 gallons of water.
“It took 30 to 40 seconds to bring it under control and three or four minutes to put the fire out,” Ballon said.
Ballon said the foam system increases the safety factor for firefighters by reducing the weight of a hose, so firefighters have about one-third of the workload. Also, he said, a fire put out with foam is less likely to flare up again. He said the foam is an excellent system for putting out tire fires and hay bale fires, because it smothers the fire.
Ballon said the open house let everyone in the community see the new truck, as well as South Brownsville’s ladder truck and the Hiller ambulance. He said seeing the equipment up close tends to make it less frightening to children during emergencies.
The fire department also used the open house to kick off this year’s fund drive. “We had a lot of people who weren’t even from Hiller who made donations,” Ballon said. “The sad part is we spend more time on fund-raising than we do on training, any more.”
While the new truck came with a $320,000 price tag, it cost the department another $20,000 – money for hoses, nozzles and a new radio – to put it on the road.