West Hartford took delivery of a new $818,000 "quint", also known as a combination aerial, ladder and pumper truck. It is now housed at Fire Station number 3 in Elmwood and will be in service in about a month's time giving the department some time to train firemen to use it. The truck was built to town specifications.
According to the Courant
"It has five functions. It's a ladder, water, pumper, aerial and hose," Gary S. Allyn, the town's assistant fire chief, said of the apparatus made by Crimson Aerial. "It's our third quint. It replaces a 19-year-old quint that we sold to a buyer in Montana."
That older apparatus was bought for $175,000 by a resort. The money was used toward the purchase of the new piece. Christopher Johnson, the town finance director, said that the town sold bonds to finance the balance of the purchase. The bonds will be paid over 10 years. The new vehicle might last 20 years.
Quints, invented 80 years ago, became popular in the 1990s with budget-challenged towns and cities attracted by the single vehicle that could function as both a ladder truck and a pumper.
While $818,000 is a hefty amount to plunk down on a piece of Town equipment, especially in these economic times, it is most likely a very good investment and should serve us well for many many years to come.
Delivery was just in time for the Memorial Day parade. Maybe we'll catch a glimpse of it then.
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