Montauk Fire Department Unveils New Truck: Photos

MONTAUK, NY — Officers and members of the Montauk Fire Department's Engine Company No. 2 had mixed feelings of nostalgia and pride at Saturday's retirement event — but this time it was not a person retiring, it was the Department's international rescue truck, which has served them so well since 1992.

Although the life expectancy of a vehicle of this type is usually 15 to 20 years, according to MFD Chief Vincent Franzone, parts availability has recently become an issue, and it was time.

The proud moment of the occasion came during the unveiling of the new "RESCUE 2" Truck, nicknamed "Bright Eyes", after the MFD's very first rescue vehicle.

The new "Bright Eyes" is well equipped to respond to any type of rescue scene — heavy, dive, collapse, confined space, or extrication.

No space is wasted in the latest in vehicle designs. Slide out "drawers", accessed from the outside, are able to support the heavy — up to 1,000 lbs. — weight of the rescue components. The Department is looking forward to many years with RESCUE 2.

Photos by Richard Lewin Professional Photography, soniboy@aol.com.

Reporting by Richard Lewin.