text: The Town's first new fire truck since 1985 arrives - GFD - 11/20/2008
  The Town's first new fire truck in 28 years has arrived in station
  The Goshen Fire Department took delivery of a new fire truck on Thursday, November 20th. The new engine is a 2008 Darley Pro-Poly body built on a Spartan Gladiator chassis which cost $443,575. It has a six-person cab with a 400 HP engine, automatic transmission, 1,500 gpm pump and will carry 1,250 gallons of water. Designated Engine 2, it will replace a 1960 American LaFrance engine that carried four personnel. However, only the front two seats were enclosed in the cab. The rear two seats were exposed to the elements. It had a 1,250 gpm pump and carried 300 gallons of water.
  The purchase of the new vehicle was made possible by the award of a $325,000 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) in 2007 that was written by Chief Susan M. Labrie. The Grant provided $308,750 with the remaining $134,315 paid for by the Town of Goshen's Fire Vehicle Fund. The AFG is managed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). The Town's Fire Vehicle Fund was started years ago to begin saving for the purchase of a new pumper. The Goshen Firefighters Association donated $510 for the distinctive Department logo emblems on the engine's front doors.
  The new engine had been in the planning stages for almost four years. The six-person Truck Committee designed this vehicle around firefighter safety and the latest in firefighting technology. They jointly spent close to 1,200 hours researching the best options for the Department and Town. The basic idea was to provide the volunteer firefighters with the safest and most efficient vehicle possible to do their job. The Pro-Poly body is a one piece water tank and body. It is made of Polyprene, a specially formulated copolymer sheetstock material. Polyprene is lighter than steel and aluminum, will not rust, corrode, crack, chip or peel and is easily repaired if inadvertently damaged. As a result, the manufacturer provides a lifetime tank and body warranty.
  Engine 2 is equipped with a compressed air foam system (CAFS). CAFS improves the efficiency of plain water by five to seven times. It provides a faster means of fire knockdown, offers a rapid reduction in heat, requires less water, and provides lighter and more manageable hose lines because they are typically half the weight. CAFS also reduces property damage by using less water and putting out the fire quicker. Utilizing CAFS lowers pump pressure resulting in fuel savings and reducing physical drain on firefighters. Other important safety features include a Rolltec rollover occupant protection system, backup camera with screens in the cab and on the top mount pump panel, telescopic remote controlled light tower, enclosed ladder storage at an ergonomically correct height, roll up compartment doors and driver activated differential lock and On-spot chains for winter driving. Another feature is the built in SCBA mounting brackets in the 5 crew seats. This allows firefighters to put their SCBA back-packs on while on the way to a fire call and be ready to enter a smoke-filled environment immediately upon arrival. A mobile data terminal (MDT), which is a laptop computer loaded with pre-incident planning data for the Town and surrounding communities, will be provided and installed thanks to a Department of Homeland Security Grant obtained through the Western Mass Fire Chiefs' Association.
  The Department's other vehicles include a 1985 Pierce Engine, 1980 Tanker, 1987 Brush Truck, and 1989 Light Rescue Truck.
  Engine 2 will greatly enhance firefighter safety as well as response capability and firefighting effectiveness. The new vehicle will be placed into service as soon as equipment has been loaded and the Department has been trained and checked out on its operation. Engine 2 is expected to be in service for the next 25 years.