The Wait Is Over for CFD as New Fire Truck Pulls Into Town

By CASPAR EWIG
COOPERSTOWN

The Cooperstown Fire Department’s quest to replace an outdated aerial ladder fire truck entered its final phase with the arrival of the new unit at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, May 21.

The workhorse that is presently part of the CFD fire brigade was purchased in 1995, and although it has only travelled some 10,000 road miles, the fire truck has performed many hours of duty over its 29 years of service. Repairs are increasingly necessary, and the parts needed for those repairs are becoming harder and harder to find. In fact, last year the aerial ladder truck was out of action for six weeks as CFD officials worked to obtain the parts necessary to repair a leaky hydraulic pump used to maneuver the ladder. It was high time for retirement.

During the search for parts to make that repair, the fire department received a serendipitous phone call from Rob Lewis, apparatus sales facility manager for Firematic Supply Company, He advised CFD officials that Pierce Manufacturing Inc. had a stock prototype of a Pierce Enforcer Mid-Mount Aerial Tower Unit in production and available for sale. The sticking point, however, was that Cooperstown had to make an immediate decision to purchase the unit. Otherwise, it would be sold to another department equally anxious to replace outdated equipment.

Many fire companies, according to Lewis, had purchased equipment from funds made available after 9/11 and these units, like Cooperstown’s, are now due for replacement. Thus, while actual construction of this unit took just short of a year, under normal circumstances it was not unusual for Pearce to have 60-70 stock units in various stages of production. The increased demand and other factors, however, have greatly reduced that backlog. Thus, a failure to accept the offer would have resulted in the fire department having to wait three years if it wanted a truck built to order.

CFD Chief Michael Molloy immediately went about seeking to raise the just over $2 million needed to purchase and outfit the new unit for service. The original truck had been purchased and donated by The Clark Foundation, and so Molloy made a request to Jane Clark for support and she agreed to arrange for a contribution of $1.5 million toward the purchase price.

Simultaneously, the chief approached Village of Cooperstown officials for funds to cover the purchase price gap.

“The problem was,” recounted Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh, “that the request came in June of last year and the annual village budget had already been finalized in May. So we had to scramble to find $500,000.00. In addition, because of the deadline, the Board of Trustees had to schedule an emergency meeting to approve the purchase.”

In the end, by tapping into the contingency fund, the annual Fire Department Maintenance Fund and monies left over from a grant received from the American Recovery Plan Act—as well as a sizable contribution from the fire department itself—the village was able to gather sufficient funds to cover the purchase price.

On June 8, 2023, the Board of Trustees convened and approved the purchase.

“During construction,” Chief Molloy recounted, “we were able to see pictures of our truck in production that were posted on the Firematic website. Now we can see the actual unit.”

But delivery does not equate to serviceability. First, members of the department will need to acquaint themselves with the unit. For that purpose, Pierce will make a trainer available over the next two weeks, and by the first of June, the fire truck will be fully functional.

In addition to the Pierce Enforcer containing new and updated equipment, it represents a quantum leap in performance. For example, where previously it would have taken almost 10 minutes to set up the ladder before it could be hoisted, the new unit will complete that process in 40 seconds.

“The new unit will be a welcome addition to the rescue truck, the tanker and pumper, and other units that make up the Cooperstown fire brigade,” Captain Joel Bostwick noted.
A formal commissioning ceremony is scheduled for June 21.