New engine built for public safety
Sep 17, 2024 11:19AM ● By Linda Petersen
Morgan County Fire & EMS personnel are proud of their new engine. Courtesy photo/ Morgan County Fire & EMS
After waiting nearly two years Morgan County Fire & EMS has a brand-new fire engine. The county commission approved the purchase of the second-generation Pierce Saber Pumper in October 2022. It was then ordered, and the fire department recently received delivery of the vehicle. Fire Chief Boyd Carrigan “introduced” the engine to the community at the Sept. 3 county commission meeting.
“The Saber chassis was built with the value-driven firefighter in mind – delivering advanced visibility, greater space, improved ergonomics and streamlined serviceability at an affordable price,” according to the manufacturer’s website. The $635,639 engine’s pump can put out 1,250 gallon per minute and carries 1,000 gallons of water. Ordering the same engine in 2024 now carries a $970,000 price tag, Carrigan said.
“It's a great engine; it's built for public safety,” the fire chief said. “It’s no frills, just a barebones workhorse for us, so we’re here to show it off a bit.”
The new vehicle replaces a 31-year-old engine – “our first-out engine, so it’s been a while,” Carrigan said.
At the meeting Commission Chair Mike Newton expressed his excitement for the new engine.
“It’s a pretty big investment by the county but we’re really excited about it and hopefully you don't have to see it in your neighborhood hopefully except maybe on the parade route,” he said. “But uh if you do see it these guys are going to be there taking care of business, and we appreciate the work that they do and all of our volunteers.”
Many people don’t realize that Morgan’s fire department is mainly staffed by volunteers, he said.
“These are people who spend their time, their weekends, their holidays, their nights staying up late to protect the people of this community,” he said. “So, when you call for an ambulance – we do have a couple of daytime staffing during the day, the weekday – but outside of that it’s volunteers that are coming to your rescue and they do a fantastic job. They might be volunteers but they’re experts and professionals. We really appreciate the work they do.”
The new engine runs so quietly many people might not even hear it except for the siren, Commission member Blaine Fackrell said.
“I just want to thank the council and Sean [Waller, fire operations chief and much of the impetus behind the new engine] for sure and all the hard work and support you guys give us,” Carrigan told the commission in conclusion. “We really appreciate you.”
Newton then praised Waller for his work on the engine’s design.
“Sean, excellent work on the design of the engine,” he said. “Every engine is custom built so they worked heavily on the design and exactly where everything would be. So hopefully it'll last us a good long time and we're excited about it.”
Carrigan said they don’t have a date for the engine’s push in ceremony but would get the word out to the community when they do. Push in ceremonies dates back to the days of horse-drawn equipment when members had to push the equipment into the firehouse bay.λ