We are excited to share that there will be some big capital improvements coming to the Wexford VFC in 2019 that will help us better serve the community.

NEW BREATHING APPARATUS
27 New Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus units (SCBA) have been ordered and should delivered within the first quarter of 2019. An SCBA is a critical piece of safety equipment for firefighters entering a hazardous environment, and we’re happy to provide this much needed improvement for our members. The new units will feature thermal imaging cameras integrated into a remote cylinder gauge that hangs at the firefighter’s chest. These cameras allow firefighters to see in low to zero visibility environments. The SCBA thermal imaging cameras are not a replacement for full service cameras available to the officer on each engine and our tower ladder but will provide potentially lifesaving technology to each firefighter entering a hazardous environment.

NEW SQUAD/UTILITY VEHICLE
One of our two pick-up squad vehicles will be replaced with a crew cab/utility body configured vehicle. The squads are work horses for our organization with being used for calls and various company activities. The utility body configuration will provide some versatility for the vehicle to be useful at various incidents.

The SCBA and squad purchases have been made possible through years of sound financial management of our state volunteer fire relief association funds.

NEW ENGINE 2
We have placed an order for a new Seagrave Marauder II pumper with a projected delivery of summer/fall of 2019. This pumper will be very close in design to Engine 1, also a Seagrave Marauder II pumper that was placed into service in 2015. The new Engine 2 will be placed at our station 2 on Babcock Boulevard and is part of a fleet planning goal to simplify and standardize our primary pumpers.

NEW TOWER LADDER
We have also placed an order for a new Seagrave 95-foot Aerialscope tower ladder with a projected delivery in late 2019. This truck will replace a refurbished 95-foot Aerialscope that was purchased in 2013 as our first major aerial apparatus. The refurbished tower ladder helped us get through the aerial apparatus learning curve at a fraction of the cost of purchasing a new one. We have been very happy with the Aerialscope product and are excited to continue with the product on our new truck.

Both vehicle purchases have been made possible by the Township of Pine through a fleet replacement plan established with the Township in 2015. The engine was a scheduled replacement for 2019, and the tower ladder was moved to an earlier replacement after evaluating the 23-year old tower ladder’s long-term ability to handle the growing service demands of the community.
We are very thankful for the commitment of the Township of Pine supervisors and staff in ensuring that the Wexford VFC is well equipped to protect the community.