Powell River Fire Rescue added a new engine to its Courtenay Street station last week.
The fire service took possession of its new Smeal Custom Pumper built on a Spartan Metro Star chassis. It is powered by a Cummins 455 horsepower diesel engine and has an Allison transmission.
The engine has a 27,000-pound rear axel with a 500-gallon water tank capacity and comes with National Fire Protection Association-approved decal package and scene lighting that “turns night to day,” said Deputy Fire Chief Terry Peters of Powell River Fire Rescue. The truck also has modern features like airbags for additional safety for crew members, he added.
The engine, number 41, cost $538,000 and was bought from Safetek in Abbotsford, a supplier of fire suppression vehicles for communities across Canada. Peters said the truck is modestly priced for a fire suppression vehicle and that ladder trucks cost close to $1 million.
Peters explained that this truck is not the 41st truck they have had, but that its number acts as an identifier.
The pumper will be in service for the next 20 years and replaces the department’s old pumper. Insurance companies require fire departments to replace vehicles once they reach 25 years old. Peters said that by replacing their trucks at 20 years, they are able to sell them instead of waiting until they reach 25 years old when no money can be recovered from their sale.
Crews will be learning how the truck operates with a certified trainer and Peters said the public can expect to see the truck in action in about a month.
