Hewlett adds to fleet

Fighting fires in the Hewlett Bay Fire District became a little easier as the Hewlett Fire Department purchased three new Spartan pumpers using, in part $300,000 from the fire district’s capital reserve apparatus and equipment fund.

Department members have been training on the first new truck since the end of September. All three trucks should be ready for use by mid-November. Officials view the new 550-gallon as major upgrades. Two of the old trucks were 22 years old, the third was seventeen years old, and all three went were in use during and after Hurricane Sandy. “The technology completely changed,” said First Assistant Chief Jamie Lewin, “We’ve brought technology into the fold to make it safer for our firefighters.”

Additionally, according to the Fire Commissioner in charge of apparatus, Joe Ruvolo, the new trucks also are more efficient, pumping water at 2,000 gallons per minute compared to 1,500 gpm for the older trucks.

The new trucks also feature digital displays and will include safety measures such as seatbelt warnings and curtain airbags. The two of the trucks were already near the end of their life expectancy, and according to Ruvolo, and the damage that Sandy wrought on another resulted in constant expensive repairs. “These were also purchased with reserve funds so there was no additional cost to the taxpayer,” he said.

Ruvolo believes buying all three simultaneously was the right decision. Instead of having a couple of truck models a few years apart they can now train fighters on all three interchangeably. “The only difference is the color stripe (each company in the department has their own color scheme to keep things organized),” he said, “since drivers won’t have to learn the little quirks of each we hope to have more people qualified as chauffeurs.”

The department is also expecting a new ladder truck to replace their 15-year-old one, towards the end of the month. Having replaced the ambulance over the summer, the entire stable of vehicles, except the rescue vehicle, are brand new. “With our new fleet the residents of the district will be better protected,” Lewin said.