City will include money to pay for new firetruck in upcoming Branchport ready to replace old enginebond

City will include money to pay for new firetruck in upcoming Branchport ready to replace old enginebond

CHRIS KELLY The Branchport Hose Company, part of the Long Branch Fire Department, is slated to receive a new firetruck; however, the new truck turned out to be longer than the existing bay, above.

By carolyn O’Connell

Staff Writer

LONG BRANCH — It’s taken a year, but the Branchport Hose Company knows exactly what it wants in a new engine. According to Bruce Johantgen, president of the Branchport Hose Company, the year’s worth of research has resulted in 50 pages of specifications for a new truck to replace its 1971 Mack engine.

Funding for the purchase should be in place by the end of the month.

"An E-One engine fits our specifications," said Johantgen, "which we will compare all bids received to."

One problem that had to be addressed in the specifications is the current standard for truck lengths. New trucks are now generally built 30 feet long, but there is no bay at the company’s house longer than 30 feet.

The solution according to Johantgen, is to have the truck custom-built at 27 feet which would give firefighters a 3-foot access around the sides and the back of the truck.

The estimated cost of that change is $15,000, but if the company were to expand the house instead, that cost would be an additional $55,000, according to Johantgen.

The price of the truck is expected to be in the ballpark of $200,000 and that money will be part of a larger bond that also will pay for other city projects.

According to Councilman Anthony Giordano, the limit for this bond has not yet been established, since the council needs to decide what projects will go forward this year and which will be held for next year’s budget.

Some of those projects, said Giordano, include public works, police, streets and redevelopment.

According to Johantgen, the council has approved the purchase and the bidding process will move forward this month.

The E-One will replace the current 1971 Mack model which will then serve as a backup for the hose company which averages 351 calls per year.

Currently the city has 12 fire trucks (5 Smeals, 2 Seagraves, 4 Macks and 1 American-LaFrance) housed within its nine companies.

Although the city has not previously purchased from E-One, Johantgen said the company’s manufacturing processes and safety testing made it a good choice to use as a measuring stick.

"We want the best engine that we can get for the money," said Johantgen.

Safety is a real concern, he said, since a Long Branch fire engine was totaled last year trying to avoid an accident on Atlantic Avenue. That truck will be replaced by a newly purchased American-LaFrance pumper costing $220,000 due to be delivered in later this month.

The new engine for the Branchport Hose Company will have several features approved by the National Fire Protection Agency, including roll cage construction.

"Although air conditioning within the cab of the engine is not yet mandated by the NFPA," said Johantgen, we are requesting that in our specs."

According to Johantgen, air conditioning helps maintain body temperature to avoid heat exhaustion while firemen wear their suits and apparatus and to combat the heat after fighting a fire in extremely high temperatures.

The new engine also will have a 6,000 kilowatt hydraulic generator used in situations to supply electricity when the gas company disconnects power during a fire.

In addition, a conventional cab is requested which will sit over the engine, allowing it to accommodate up to eight firefighters wearing full gear.