Youngstown-Whitney firefighters set to debut new pumper engine with improved features

Youngstown-Whitney Volunteer Fire Department is looking for a buyer for its 1993 pumper engine.

That’s because the firefighters this month took delivery of an updated replacement for that primary vehicle they roll out of the Main Street station in Youngstown when they respond to a fire.

Department officials hope to have the new 2023 Sutphen Monarch engine in service by early May, after firefighters complete training on details of operating the truck and it has been fitted with all the necessary equipment.

“The old apparatus was completely functional and well-maintained, but it has shown its age over 31 years,” fire Chief Shawn Reagan said of the 1993 truck. “There are a lot more electronics on the newer apparatus.”

The new truck’s other advantages include: a pump that delivers water at a rate of 2,000 gallons per minute, compared to 1,500 gpm; seating for up to eight firefighters, compared to six; and a 600 hp engine, compared to 450 hp.

The boost in engine power will be particularly welcome when the department responds to emergency situations in the loftier locales that it serves.

“We felt it was important to get the biggest engine there was space for and that was available to go on that fire truck, to help get to the top of the four ridge roads in our district,” said first assistant fire Chief Barry Banker.“The transmission and rear end have been modified and customized for hill-climbing.”

Banker recently stepped back from his longtime role as chief of the department and had a key role in planning for the 2023 pumper.

The new engine is capable of delivering firefighting foam through its deck gun, according to Banker. “That can come in handy when you’re fighting a large open fire,” he said. “You can get more out of a large nozzle like that than you can from a nozzle a firefighter is holding in their hand.”

Initially, the department considered refurbishing the 1993 pumper. But, Banker said, the firefighters soon realized that option would cost at least half the price of a new engine, and it wasn’t deemed a wise investment.

Given rising costs, the decision to purchase a new fire engine was no small commitment. The price was upward of $800,000, compared to the $230,000 the department paid for the 1993 engine when it was new.

“We’ve been fundraising constantly,” said Reagan. “It’s been years of saving. We’ve been slowly banking money and looking for grants and donations.”

Planning and saving for the new truck took at least five years. Adding time to that process were periods of waiting for some government funding and other pandemic-related delays.

The department was able to draw upon some of the revenue that is generated by a special two-mill Unity property tax and is shared among firefighting organizations that respond to calls in the township.

Reagan said the department was able to use some federal funding available through the Department of Homeland Security to purchase equipment that will be placed on the new engine.

Funding at hand covered about 75% of the new truck’s price. Reagan said the department’s goal is to repay in 15 years the principal and 2% interest on a loan it took out through the office of the state fire commissioner, to finance the remainder of the purchase.

Once it finds a new owner for the 1993 pumper, the department will continue to field a fleet of six major emergency vehicles — including the new Sutphen engine, a rescue truck, a tanker truck, a brush truck, a foam truck and a service truck. It also has an all-terrain utility vehicle at its disposal.

The Youngstown-Whitney department has about 50 members on its roster, half of whom are involved in responding to emergencies, Reagan said.

With the storage compartments available on the new engine, he said, “We have room to grow.”