A rare tradition marked the christening of a new pumper tender truck last Thursday at Brevard County Fire Rescue Fire Station 65 in the South Beaches. Known as a “Push In” ceremony, firefighters sprayed the new truck with water from the pumper it replaced, with assembled guests tasked with wiping the new truck dry with chamois cloths.
Then firefighter Brett Webster hopped aboard to back the truck into its new home.
According to Brevard County Fire Rescue Chief Mark Schollmeyer, push-ins date back to the days when fire departments used horse-drawn pumpers. Horses that were commissioned, or placed into service, would be washed down with water from the retiring pumper’s tank along with the pumper they pulled. “Once wet down and dried, the pumper was pushed into the station by hand because the horses could not back up. The community, neighboring departments and elected officials would attend these ceremonies whenever a community purchased new apparatus or a horse,” he said.
The ceremony also serves to inform the surrounding community of the investment the county made to public safety. “And it’s an opportunity for fire rescue to discuss the capabilities of the new equipment,” Schollmeyer said.
The $453,000 vehicle, manufactured by Sutphen Corporation of Ohio, includes a 1,500-gallon water tank and a Pro Class A Foam system with 20-gallon foam tank, which doubles the effectiveness of the water.
The need for this size apparatus stems from the water supply issue on the South Beaches.
“There is a long stretch of barrier island that does not have hydrants. Water has to be carried on the truck,” Schollmeyer said.
The previous pumper carried 750 gallons of water in an onboard tank. The squad also has water tanker trucks, which are used for wildfires and other firefighting tasks, but due to the limited bay space at the fire station to store a tanker and a pumper, the idea was to purchase a pumper with a much larger tank.
The older truck, a 2004 American LaFrance pumper, was nearing the end of its useful life expectancy for front line duty. The National Fire Protection Association has set the maximum length of service for fire apparatus at 15 years.
“Fire engines should be able to remain in front-line service for a period of 10 to 12 years and/or 150,000 miles, depending on mechanical condition, parts availability, etc.,” Schollmeyer said. “The salt environment on the barrier island also takes its toll on equipment.”
Schollmeyer said the older pumper won’t be put out to pasture, but will be maintained to serve as a reserve where needed with a maximum total life span of 25 years, regardless of mileage or condition.
Municipalities also have the need to replace vehicles of all types. According to Fire Chief Todd Scaldo, Indian Harbour Beach replaced one vehicle in the past five years, a 1998 Ford van. The van was replaced by a 2014 Ford F550 crew cab utility vehicle. “We’re looking at one engine to be replaced in the next five years, a 1995 Freightliner.”
Satellite Beach purchased two fire engines in the last four years, replacing 1993 and 1998 models. “We should be replacing our third engine – one from 2004 – within the next five years,” said Fire Chief Don Hughes.
The Melbourne Beach Volunteer Fire Department replaced three pieces of apparatus within the past five years, all of which took place last year.
“We purchased a Chevy Silverado pickup truck to replace our old 1986 Ford E-350. We also replaced our old ATV and our old ocean rescue craft with a new ATV and Jet Ski. And we acquired a second Jet Ski and trailer donation from a local business,” said Deputy Chief Gavin Brown.
The department has no plans to replace any significant rolling stock in the near future. The oldest vehicle in fleet is Engine-58, built in 2004. “We are currently putting funds away to refurbish the truck down the road. We take pride in taking good care of our apparatus and getting a long life span out of everything,” Brown said.
