Fire Department Hook and Ladder Truck Should be Back in Service Soon

The borough’s should soon have its hook and ladder truck finally back in service after a one-year absence.

Pending repairs have kept it out of commission for the past year officials said and now the borough has introduced an ordinance Tuesday night to appropriate funds to pay for the needed work.

A number of non-motor related problems were found over the past year, Mike Kronyak, borough administrator explained.  The first problem began about a year ago when a vendor was returning the truck from its upstate New York location when the engine blew. The engine was rebuilt at no cost to the borough as the vendor’s insurance company paid the cost.

Other repairs to the truck were also needed such as rebuilding the pump and upon annual inspection it was discovered that the ladder also needed some work.

The borough has been trying to absorb the cost in the budget, Kronyak said and now is working to put $80,000 towards the repairs. The work should cost roughly $65,000 Kronyak said but the borough is putting aside an additional $15,000 to serve as a cushion so funds will be available in the event additional repair needs come about.

“We miss the truck very much, that’s for sure,” said Councilman John Dingertopadre, who serves as fire commissioner. He explained that over the past year the fire department has had to get by without a hook and ladder truck relying on other fire departments for assistance.

The department was using a Bergen County hook and ladder truck on loan for a little more than a month, Dingertopadre said but the rest of the time hook and ladder trucks have been provided by other departments who give mutual aid on emergency calls.

Dingertopadre said it may still be about another two months before the truck is back in service. Kronyak said it is hoped that the work will be done sooner than that but the timing depends on how long it may take to get the parts in from Seagrave, the manufacturer which is based in Wisconsin.

The truck is about 20 years old and has relatively low mileage Dingertopadre said. It’s believed that most of the issues with the truck are based on wear and tear.