Brunswick Fire Engine No.2 is back at Station 1 after a refurbishment that started in September. The city spent $57,253 to refurbish the truck and hopes to get 10 years of service out of it. (LOREN GENSON / GAZETTE)
Brunswick Fire Department’s Station 1 has Engine No. 2 back in the garage after a refurbishment aimed at getting another 10 years out of the vehicle.
Fire Chief Jim Baird said the cost to refurbish the 2001 Pierce engine was $57,253 — a far cry from the $450,000 to $500,000 a new engine would have cost the city.
“It’s almost a tenth of the cost of a new truck,” Baird said. “But we already got 13 years and hopefully get another 10 years.”
The refurbishment included removing any rust and corrosion on the vehicle. The doors were pulled off and updated along with other older equipment on the engine.
In all, the engine spent nearly five months at the Carnegie Body Co. in Cleveland. In addition to the body work, the lights on the engine were upgraded to LED and gauges measuring water pressure in the hoses were replaced.
“Some of them were cracked and had condensation in them, making them harder to read. They were cracked and cloudy,” Baird said. “Between fire calls and training drills, the gauges had taken a beating.”
The truck also got a new coat of red paint to match other trucks in the fleet. Before September, Engine 2 was a bright yellow-green.
“At the time, studies showed that was a good color,” Baird said. “Now, we think red is just as good.”
In addition to the repairs, the refurbishment included a change in the layout of the inside of the truck where firefighters ride. Behind the two front seats there had been four seats, two of the seats were removed to make way for a new cabinet full of EMS supplies.
“Before, it only carried a few supplies,” Baird said. “Now, if this truck is in the area, it can respond to any EMS call. It definitely expands the mission of the truck.”
It will be a few weeks yet before residents see Engine 2 in action. Firefighters are working to outfit the truck with equipment identical to the layout of Engine 1, which is a 2007 model.
“You want everything to be in the same place on both engines,” said Lt. Russ Merhaut, who was working to install a pull-out shelf for extrication equipment Friday. “That way, it’s in the same place no matter which engine you take out.”
Baird said his staff is excited to have the engine back in service because most firefighters prefer it to Engine 1.
“I guess the engine’s just a little more powerful, but they seem to like it more,” Baird said. “It’s a reliable vehicle; and if you have a good vehicle, it’s worth putting money into.”
Contact reporter Loren Genson at (330) 721-4063 or lgenson@medina-gazette.com.