By MADDY VITALE
The Ocean City Fire Department will add a new fire truck to the fleet next year to replace one that is more than 20 years old.
City Council approved a contract to buy a new pumper truck for $650,000 from Pierce Manufacturing Inc. of Appleton, Wisc. The truck will be delivered in the fall of 2021.
Fire Chief Jim Smith said in an interview that the department is appreciative of the support from the city.
“We are a densely populated community with both people and structures. The city supports us with fire equipment to help us do our jobs to the best of our ability,” Smith explained.
While the new truck won’t be here for some time, Smith said it is worth the wait.
“We don’t expect the new truck to arrive until fall of next year. The one we have is from 1992. It has been in reserve for 15 years. We still service it in case the frontline piece that we typically ride on malfunctions. If we have a fire and we recall the off-duty people, they will respond to the fire in it or it will be in the fire station for other fire calls.”
In total, the Ocean City Fire Department has a fleet of five engines, also known as pumper trucks, two ladder trucks, four ambulances, a heavy rescue vehicle and support vehicles.
Over the years, many repairs have enabled the pumper to still be in reserve.
“It has served us well,” Smith said.
Smith commended the 64 firefighters in his department for working hard to keep the town safe.
He emphasized, however, that they couldn’t do it without the support of the city.
“Personnel does a great job as a department and the city also believes in a proactive maintenance,” he said. “That is what helps keep everyone safe.”
The new fire truck continues the upgrades to strengthen the city’s ability to fight fires and other emergencies.
In 2017, Council approved the purchase of a $1.1 million ladder truck. The truck replaced an aging 20-year-old vehicle that, in 2016, cost the Fire Department $60,000 to repair. The new ladder truck arrived in fall 2018.
And in 2017 the department opened a new $2.1 million fire station on 29th Street and West Avenue, which replaced a deteriorated firehouse dating back to the 1950s.
Altogether, there are three firehouses throughout the city, including the department’s headquarters at 550 Wesley Ave.
