FIRE DEPARTMENT UPGRADES ITS EQUIPMENT

In 1967, Cape Girardeau's first city manager, Paul Fredericks, authorized the purchase of two American LaFrance pumper fire trucks, at a cost of $30,000 each.

Twenty-six years later, when Fire Chief Gene Hindman takes delivery of the department's newest pumper fire truck in July 1992, the price tag will run between $175,000 and $185,000.

Hindman says inflation obviously plays a role in the price increase, but he adds safety improvements, and new technology in construction of fire engines, are other reasons for the increased costs.

Hindman said the new fire truck is the first pumper truck the fire department has purchased since 1978. It will replace a 1967 model American LaFrance pumper truck, one of several aging fire trucks that will be replaced as part of a proposed, 5-year upgrade of the department's fleet of firefighting equipment, Hindman said.

"I'm kind of excited about getting the new pumper truck, even though its still about a year away," the chief said. "We really need it."

He said it will take about one year to manufacture and deliver the new fire truck.

"The most noticeable feature the public will see on the new fire truck is that it will have a fully enclosed cab," said Hindman. "This is because of changes in fire truck safety specifications that were made by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)."

The chief explained that until now, most firefighters rode in an open cab behind the front cab of a fire truck. He said a number of firefighters in the U.S. have been injured when the fire truck they were riding was involved in an accident, and they were thrown from the open cab.

"The fully-enclosed cab is just another safety factor for the men," said Hindman. "That's why you no longer see firefighters riding on the back of a fire truck."

He said the new truck will be painted bright red with a white trim, similar to the paint scheme on the fire department's 102-foot aerial platform ladder truck. It will have a 10-inch wide, white, reflective stripe along each side for better day and night visibility to motorists.

The fire truck will have a 750 gallon water tank, and can pump up to 1,500 gallons per minute from a water source, such as a fire hydrant.

Hindman said the new fire truck will have an automatic transmission, making it easier for rookie firefighters to learn how to drive it.

"Most of the younger firefighters today have never driven any other kind of a vehicle except those with an automatic transmission," he said. "Not having to shift all the time is just one less thing to worry about when you're trying to get to a fire."

The new fire truck will have a Diesel engine, again a safety feature, because gasoline-powered engines "run away" and cannot be shut off when combustible vapors are sucked into their carburetor, he said.

"All new fire trucks now have Diesel engines for that reason," said Hindman. After the new fire truck is delivered next summer, the chief said the fire department will have only one gas-powered fire truck, and it is scheduled to be replaced in the proposed upgrade of the fleet.

There are other changes in the appearance of the new fire truck. Instead of mounting the sirens and air horns on top of the truck cab, they will be mounted on the front bumper. Hindman said this is for the hearing protection of firefighters in the cab, which will have extra sound-deadening insulation.

Like many other firefighters, Hindman has suffered a partial hearing loss because of the constant exposure to the screeching siren and air horn on the cab roof of the fire trucks.

Commenting on the cost of firefighting equipment, Hindman said the fire department purchased a Warner Swasey pumper truck for $51,000 in 1978, plus the trade-in of a fire truck. In 1987, the 102-foot aerial platform ladder truck was purchased for $410,000. So he's not surprised at the price for the new fire truck.

Hindman said this year's purchase is the first of what he hopes will be a 5-year upgrade of the department's fleet of firefighting equipment.

"My goal is to purchase one new fire truck each year between 1992 and 1997. They would replace fire trucks that are now, or will be, 20 years old," he said. All of the new fire trucks would be purchased with cash from general revenue, he said. No bond issues or increase in taxes would be required.

Hindman said there are two ways to determine when it is time to replace a piece of firefighting apparatus - when it can no longer operate at the specifications it was designed for, and when the accumulated cost of repair and maintenance is greater than the cost of a new piece of equipment.

Hindman said several fire engines have approached, or will soon approach those limits in the next five to 10 years.

Hindman said there is a misconception by some people that fire trucks do not wear out as fast as other vehicles because they are not used as much. He discounted that theory.

The chief said the first thing that usually wears out on a fire truck, besides the engine and power train, is the moving firefighting parts such as water pumps, water tank seals, and valves and seals.

"It's also very hard on a fire truck chassis to have a full load of water and equipment setting on it in the fire station, 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week, year-after-year," said Hindman.

Currently, the fire department fleet consists of one platform ladder truck, six pumper engines, one service truck, one, used, rescue truck, a fast-response, one-ton, airport fire truck, and a 4-wheel drive, grass and brush fire truck.

Hindman noted the used rescue truck was purchased from another fire department in 1986, and is mounted on a 1982 chassis. "We're going to have to replace it sometime in the mid-1990s," the chief said.