“Seconds count during a fire. If we can save a few seconds getting the equipment off, that’s all the better for the outcome,” Salem Fire Chief Scott Mason said.

The newest member of the Salem Fire Department fleet was ordered last year and manufactured by Sutphen in Ohio. Once the truck was built and passed the inspection of fire personnel, it was delivered across town in Springfield to Fire and Marine Inc. for installation of custom shelves and cabinets and installation of new equipment.

“Everything went fairly well,” Mason said.

The truck can carry 1,000 gallons of water and can pump 2,000 gallons of water per minute.

Salem Fire Department’s new Engine 2 Sutphen 2021 pumper fire truck arrived Wednesday night after a long trip home from Springfield, where personnel from Fire and Marine Inc. installed the shelving and custom-mounted the equipment after taking delivery of the vehicle from the manufacturer. The truck is expected to be ready for service on Sunday. (Salem News photo by Mary Ann Greier)

A big difference from the engine being replaced is the fact that all the power equipment on this new truck is battery-powered, meaning firefighters can just grab the tool and go pretty much anywhere it’s needed. Almost 80 percent of the tools on the new Engine 2 are new, with some equipment being switched over from the old Engine 2.

Mason said the department saved a little on the truck price by telling the manufacturer to not worry about shelving, giving FMI a blank canvas for custom designing the cabinets and shelving and custom installing all the new equipment the department had ordered.

One compartment opens up three ways and fits 21 tools inside that previously would have been stored in three different compartments on the old truck, such as axes, chainsaws, shovels, brooms and other equipment. Another compartment is set up like a lazy susan that slides out and spins around, holding the Jaws of Life spreaders and cutters and loads of battery packs. A lot of the shelving slides out for easier access.

Capt. Jeff Olinger said it’s more organized and will make access to the equipment quicker. There’s a place for everything, from tarps to fire extinguishers, cribbing, rams, stokes baskets for carrying a victim, Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus, a fan and even a slide out for floor dry used to soak up car fluids.

The new truck has reflective striping on the back and on the front deck, “Salem” is etched into the grill. Firefighters were busy loading new hose onto the truck and taking some equipment from the old truck and placing it on the new one.

This one compartment, left, opens up three ways and fits 21 tools of the firefighting trade, including axes, saws, brooms, etc. On the old Engine 2, those same tools had to be stored in three different compartments. (Salem News photo by Mary Ann Greier)

Mason said the truck will go into service on Sunday, giving each shift a chance to go over the truck, run it, drive it and get familiar with the location of all the tools and equipment and controls.

The truck itself cost $562,000, but the total cost after adding the new equipment, new hose and custom mounting of the shelves and equipment was $670,000, including the $13,800 bill from FMI. City Auditor Betty Brothers said the city secured a five-year note of $670,000 from Farmers National Bank at 2.35 percent to pay for the truck. The loan payment is $75,961 per year. After five years, the note will be rewritten.

Plans call for posting the old Engine 2 for sale on govdeals.com eventually. He said the truck was starting to have maintenance issues and reliability issues. A 2004 American LaFrance, the truck was used for medicals and has logged 7,732 hours, plus the chassis was lighter, which also led to some maintenance trouble.

Looking over the new truck, Mason said, “We hope this truck will be a lot more dependable for our residents.”

He said he took everybody’s opinions into account for the new Engine 2.

“I think everybody’s pretty happy with the layout of the truck,” he said.

The rest of the fleet includes: Engine 1, a 2001 American LaFrance pumper engine with 4,932 hours on it; Truck 4, a 2011 KME Kovatch platform ladder truck that was a demo truck and was delivered in 2014 that has logged 2,073 hours; Squad 6, a new ambulance just delivered last month; a 2003 Ford F350 Super Duty brush/grass truck; a 2012 Dodge Ram pickup; a 2014 Dodge Durango (chief’s vehicle); and a confined space trailer.