The nature of being a firefighter these days is that you don’t see a whole lot of fires.
What you do see more of, though, is car accidents and other rescues that require specialized equipment and training. The Southern Pines Fire Department has regularly run a two-person “heavy rescue” truck for those sorts of calls, but it has about reached the end of its lifespan. Within the next couple of weeks, it will be replaced by a new customized truck that can carry a crew of six, in a pinch.
The new rig, which bears the call number 819, is weighs in at 56,000 pounds across its 40-foot length, and its price tag is equally hefty: $490,000. Like the vehicle it replaces, it will have a life span of 20 years. Department officials plan to sell the old truck to another department.
Fire Chief Hampton Williams said the vehicle has seating for four to six people, has hydraulic lines in the front bumper, a generator to power equipment such as fans, a light tower with “more modern” lighting, and increased storage capacity for heavy rescue equipment. That sort of equipment is important when it comes to severe wrecks, like those crews sometimes face on U.S. 1 or U.S. 15-501.
“It is a custom vehicle,” Williams said. “We designed all of it and a lot of time and thought went into it.”
The custom-built vehicle is courtesy of Wisconsin-based Pierce Manufacturing, which specializes in a variety of fire trucks.