By Ember Conway
PeeDeePost.com
ROCKINGHAM — After 30 years of service, former Rockingham Fire Department Chief Charles C. Gardner retired on Aug. 21.
But he left a farewell present for his successor, Chief Harold Isler. Isler and Assistant Chief David Mullis took delivery of a new fire truck designed in part by Gardner. He wrote up the specks for the new truck according to the National Fire Protection Association and the Insurance Service Office and had the truck manufactured with all new parts.
Ember Conway | PeeDeePost.com
The truck took more than a year to manufacture. The fire department received the truck from Freight Liner Pierce. The purchase was approved in the 2013-14 budget year, then purchased this fiscal year, which began July 1. Last week, Finance Manager Hazel Tew wrote a check out for $272,101, then City Manager Monty Crump signed the check.
The truck has a 1,000-gallon booster tank of water and a 30-gallon foam tank. The New Fire truck is capable of delivering foam through 4 hand lines, delivering between 1 percent and 3 percentof foam through each line. The truck can pump either type of foam, AFFF Aqueous Film Forming Foam or Class A Foam for putting out fuel fires, gasoline, diesel gas or any other type of fuel fire. It can release 1,000 gallons per minute of deck foam to extinguish very large fires.
The engine is a Cummings Diesel. It has 335 horse power. It takes Diesel exhaust fluid mixed with regular fuel which burns out carbon in the exhaust system. This is the new requirement of the EPA with diesel engines only, in order to lower emissions so the engine does not put out carbon monoxide which is better for the environment.
The truck has a 24-foot extension ladder, a 14-foot roof ladder and a 10-foot attic ladder. The truck is capable of carrying 1,000 ft. of 5-inch hose (supply line), and 1,000 ft. of 2.5-inch hose and 700 feet of 1.75-inch attack line.
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