Rick Kelley/Valley Morning Star
This custom-made Pierce Pumper is the latest addition to the Harlingen Fire Department and will be housed at Fire Station No. 6 at 306 Loop 499 East. Note the super-loud siren and the unique three-light strobe on the front of the truck.
HARLINGEN — City firefighters unveiled a shiny new pumper truck Thursday morning to replace an older model which burned up an engine.
The custom-made Pierce Pumper produced in Appleton, Wisconsin, was delivered two weeks ago to Fire Station No. 3 at 306 E. Loop 499, and has been involved in training exercises and shakedown rides since, said Harlingen Fire Chief Rafael Balderas.
“One of the reasons why we had to purchase this one, not that it wasn’t ready to be replaced, but if you take a look back there one of our engines burned, Engine 3 burned a while back, so we were kind of in a hurry-up process to make sure we purchased one,” Balderas said. “These things take about a year to be built so we need to make sure we plan way in advance so we can get them when we need them.”
The new red and black truck holds 750 gallons of water for use when no fire hydrant is in the immediate vicinity. And yes, the cab has that “new fire-truck smell.”
It also has two special warning devices which are unusual.
The chrome Q-Siren affixed to the truck’s front bumper is an extra loud item which aims to provide longer-distance warning to motorists to clear a lane. It produces 123 decibels at a distance of 10 feet.
A second item is the Roto-Ray warning light which creates a strobe-like effect with three LED lights rotating sequentially. This item, too, is affixed to the front of the truck.
“We sometimes have problems getting where we need to go because traffic, they don’t move to the side anymore,” Balderas said. “And nowadays, the way the cars are built, you have the air-conditioner on, you have the radio on, and it’s hard to really hear. So another feature we put on there is a Roto-Ray, and that’s the first of its kind here in the Valley.”
Balderas said the truck and its accessories, with a total cost of just under $650,000, was selected by a committee of city firefighters which decided on just what the department needed on the truck. Balderas said he was so pleased by the committee’s work, the department would use it as a template for further fire truck purchases.
The chief also praised the City Commission and mayor’s office for their financial support.
“Receiving the new apparatus is a demonstration of the commitment the city has for public safety, and we thank them for it,” Balderas said.
The fire chief said his department was in the process of acquiring two more trucks to replace other aging equipment, some of it 20 years old.
“As the chief said, giving the new apparatus is a showing of commitment on behalf of the city, we support everything you guys do, no question about that,” said Craig Cook, assistant city manager for external affairs. “This is the first of three trucks which we’re going to get them. So three pieces of equipment cross the city, that’s a pretty good investment, it’s a pretty good statement to the citizens that we want our folks to have new equipment, the best equipment that they can have, and we’re certainly endeavoring to do that.”
Following the speeches, fire department officials honored former chief Armando Lucio before hand-pushing the new fire truck back in its bay.
Balderas said the “Push Back Ceremony” dated to the 19th century when, after returning from a call, horses were unhitched and firefighters and citizens manhandled the fire truck back inside.
The Harlingen Fire Department consists of eight stations staffed by 110 full-time firefighters. The department’s annual budget is $12.7 million.
