Hurricane Fire & Rescue took delivery of new engine on Monday, July 10th.
Hurricane Fire & Rescue took possession of a spanking new Engine 812 on Monday, July 10. The $673,000 vehicle sports the number of the engine which it replaces. The old Engine 812 was purchased new in 1992 for around $150,000.
To the eyes of many, the new Engine 812 looks like the old 812. Not so for members of the Hurricane Fire Department. The new engine features a much larger crew cabin. The larger area provides space to make personal equipment adjustments en route to a call and riding comfort.
The new 812 is packed with power, capacity, and capability that its predecessor lacked. Upon arrival at the scene of a blaze, the new engine carries one thousand more gallons of water and the power to deliver it at a rate of 1,500 gallons per minute. When responding to fires which require the use of foam, the foam is instantly available and can be pumped without delay.
The new truck is more maneuverable and better suited to respond to calls in outlying areas. The new engine is equipped with a standpipe that effectively places it 250 feet closer to a blaze than that which is otherwise possible.
The new engine is far better equipped to fight nighttime blazes. “It’s 360° coverage (the lighting) and three times the distance of that of the old engine,” said, Captain Ryan Hale. “It’s really impressive.”
The new engine has more equipment storage compartments than Hurricane Fire & Rescue presently requires. The extra storage area is the solution to needs which are yet future.