A Beauty From All Sides

Victoria Fire Chief Andrew Heger responded to Gazette questions about the fire truck, some of its equipment and capacities.  Thank you, Andrew.

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Members of the Victoria Fire Department, Victoria City Council, and Staff were on hand July 23rd for the "Grand Introduction" of the newest addition to the Department.  Front (kneeling, l-r):  Jeff Nordeen, Tim Walsh, Joe Forrer, Ryan Rivers, Laura Wood.    Standing:  Clint Matvick, Brady Lee, Dave Shoger, Aaron Jurek, Councilmember Tom O'Connor, Councilmember Kim Roden, Chief Andrew Heger, Justin Jurek, Jay Personius (behind), Rick Leuthner, Mayor Mary Thun, Administrator Don Uram, Troy Walsh.

The beauty from all sides was parked in front of Victoria City Hall for the introduction.

When was the truck ordered? "In August of 2011."

When was the truck delivered?  "We took delivery July 19th, 2012."

The company in Wyoming, MN, that built the truck?  "Rosenbauer America."

How much did it cost? "Final cost of the truck was $418,909."

Why is it called Engine 11? "We use a numbering system which is based upon common terminology.  The first '1' in the number stands for the fire station which it responds from.  The second '1' in the number stands for the first truck to leave the station for the specific call.  Our second engine is labeled Engine 12; it would be out of the same station but the second truck to leave in the deployment order.  This also applies to departments that have more than one station.  They may have a truck numbered Engine 41 which would indicate station '4,' and first truck to respond.

It houses ladders inside, correct?  How long are they?  "The truck carries a 10-foot attic ladder, 14-foot roof ladder, 17-foot utility ladder, and a 26-foot extension ladder."

How many feet of fire hose? "The truck will hold 600 feet of 5" hose, 900 feet of 3" hose, and 850 feet of 1.75" hose.  This is all designed to be stored in the hosebed at the rear of the truck and the crosslays which are directly behind the cab."

It holds 500 gallons of water.  How much does that weigh?  "The truck actually holds 700 gallons of water.  Water weighs 8.33 pounds per gallon which would equal 5,831 pounds."

Why does it need to hold water when we have so many fire hydrants?  "The onboard tank allows firefighters to make an initial fire attack while the hoses are being set up and connected to the truck and fire hydrant.  Our fire protection district also serves areas which do not have fire hydrants.  This allows us to start fighting fires with the tank water until tanker trucks arrive.  We do not always have to utilize a fire hydrant.  Some smaller incidents such as car fires or dumpster fires can be extinguished with the water that is carried on board."

What kind of equipment will you put into the many compartments?  "The compartments will store a variety of equipment such as medical equipment, extrication equipment for car accidents, small hand tools (axes, pike pols, halligan bars and sledge hammers), portable lighting, portable generators, extra nozzles, and hose appliances."

How long is the fire truck?  The truck is 32 feet 1 inch long."

How wide is the fire truck?  "The truck is 8 feet 4 inches wide."

Anything else you'd like us to know?  "The Truck Committee spent approximately 800 hours in designing and building the specifications for this truck.  This included tours of other fire departments to see their new trucks, meeting with several different vendors, and countless meetings with the committee and city council.  I would like to extend a special thanks to the Truck Committee which included Brian Pulvermacher, Laura Wood, Rick Leuthner, Clint Matvick, John Wong Dock.  The Fire Board which oversaw the project included Aaron Jurek, Tim Walsh, and Andrew Heger.  A very special thanks to the Victoria City Council and city staff for their hard work which also went into the project."