CENTERBURG — The Central Ohio Joint Fire District “pushed in” a new fire truck Wednesday night, replacing a vehicle that had been in service since 1999.
“It’s history … the firefighters would push in the fire trucks when they were horse-driven,” said COJFD Chief Mark McCann. “They would detach the horses, and the firefighters would push the engine back into the bay, and that became symbolic over the centuries.”
The National Fire Protection Association states that a fire truck should be in service for 20 years, or 15 years if it was used on the frontlines, and for everyday use.
“Out here, they [fire trucks] can last a little longer, I’d say 20 to 25 years,” McCann said. “So, six years ago, we started saving the pennies, and then this truck was ordered during COVID because they realized that the supply chain was going to grow and the cost of fire trucks would just skyrocket.”
The COJFD was established in March 2000. It serves the Village of Centerburg, as well as Hilliar and Milford Townships in southwestern Knox County Ohio. It also serves South Bloomfield Township and Sparta Village in southeastern Morrow County.
McCann said the delivery price of the new truck was around $700,000. Buying the same truck now would cost $1.1 million. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the truck would have cost around $450,000.
“It replaces the old truck. It also adds us what we call a tanker, so you have extra water now, and that helps us put out more fire,” McCann said. “It will be equipped as an advanced life support engine to have all the same stuff as the medic (unit).”
Ironically, while the push-in ceremony was beginning, another COJFD fire truck and ambulance were dispatched from the station, foreshadowing the new truck’s next steps.
(Below are photos taken from the Central Ohio Joint Fire District new firetruck event on Wednesday.)
