Fire Engine Out of Commission for Adjustment

With the water from this month's wetdown barely dry, the Cedar Grove Fire Department's brand-new rescue pumper, Engine 71, is on its way back to the factory to fix a suspension issue, officials said this week.

Council members and fire officials expressed concern about the absence of the new engine, noting the department's other pumper, Engine 72, is fading fast, and , even suggesting the township hold off on awarding the contract to Pierce for Engine 72's replacement until the repairs are made to Engine 71.

"The old [Engine] 72 is not in good shape. We're crossing our fingers that the transmission doesn't go or anything else. We do have a loaner, a used vehicle in place right now, but how long is 72 going to last? I have no idea. Nobody knows," Mayor Robert O'Toole said at the meeting.

Engine 71, the 2010 Pierce rescue pumper delivered to the department in November, has a 500-gallon on board water tank, holds six firefighters, and has a 550 horsepower engine. It came with a price-tag of approximately $650,000, and replaced an 18-year-old model, . Fire officials said the Engine will be out of commission for 2-3 weeks as repairs are made at the factory in Wisconsin.

Cedar Grove Fire Chief John Bannon said in an interview that the engine was sent back for the adjustment because driving it didn't feel quite right.

"When the engine arrived, we loaded it with all the equipment and didn't like the way it drove due to the weight distribution," Bannon said.

He noted that it is not uncommon for a new piece of equipment to require a trip back to the factory for adjustments, and that Pierce agreed to take back the engine, free of charge, and provided the department with a loaner engine, which he said is an acceptable temporary replacement.

Bannon did, however, express concerns about the viability of Engine 72, which he says causes difficulties for the department on "a daily basis."

In March, Cedar Grove Fire Captain Joe Lipari told the council that the condition of Engine 72 creates "unacceptable downtime," and has made it a financial hardship for the department, gobbling up 80 percent of its repair budget. In the last two years, repairs of Engine 72 have cost the department more than $50,000, Lipari said.