Home Local News New engine delivered to Rockingham Fire Department

New engine delivered to Rockingham Fire Department

The Rockingham Fire Department on Monday took delivery of a 2022 E-One fire engine, purchased with funds from the American Rescue Plan.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer

ROCKINGHAM — One of Richmond County’s municipal fire departments got a special delivery Monday: a new truck.

The 2022 E-One truck rolled into the Rockingham Fire Department from Rocky Mount-based Fire Connections after being assembled in Ocala, Florida.

City Manager Monty Crump said the truck was purchased with funds from the American Rescue Plan.

The price tag was $475,750, according to Isler. But if the truck had been bought today, it would have cost  $598,000.

The engine was built by E-One as a demonstration model and was about 40% complete when the department began the purchasing process this past summer, Isler said.

The truck will replace Engine 3, a 1989 Mack, and serve as a pumper-tanker for calls where there aren’t any nearby hydrants, mostly outside the city limits, according to Isler.

The new addition should be ready for service by early December.

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Isler said it still needs a white wrap around the cab to make it match the rest of the fleet, which will be done in either Charlotte or High Point.

The department also has to transfer all the equipment from the older truck before it responds to its first call.

“This’ll carry 1,000 feet of 5 inch (hoses), which is what we have on the rest of the engines,” Isler said.

The firefighters will also receive training on all the “bells and whistles” on Nov. 22, which Isler said iis a regularly scheduled training night — “so everybody will get the same training on the truck and … they’ll know all the ins and outs of it before we actually put it on the road.”

The chief said they will retire the older truck from the 12-vehicle fleet to use for training.

Several years ago, the department donated one of its older trucks to the fire training program at Richmond Senior High School.