Hempfield moves to buy new tanker truck for fire department

Hempfield supervisors are moving forward with the purchase of another new fire engine.

This week, supervisors unanimously voted to purchase a Sutphen Monarch Heavy-Duty Custom Engine Tanker. Supervisor Rob Ritson was not present.

The tanker, which will become part of the Hempfield Township Fire Department’s fleet, cost almost $753,000. It will be used by the North Hempfield Fire Station.

According to township Manager Jason Winters, it will take between 15 and 17 months for the truck to be built. Supervisor Tom Logan noted that due to that timeline, funding for the project will not be determined until the next budget period.

The township has been working to replace trucks at various stations over the past year. Last January, older trucks at fire stations in Adamsburg and Bovard were replaced by Sutphen SL75 Mid-Mount Aerial Ladder trucks, which can fight fires in residential, commercial and industrial buildings.

The trucks cost $860,000 each.

This month, the Hempfield #2 Fire Station received a new fire engine, which is owned by the township. The vehicle is capable of pumping 2,000 gallons of water per minute and carries necessary tools to perform at a high level. The truck cost about $550,000, Winters said at the time.

All of the trucks were purchased from the Ohio-based Sutphen Corporation.

The trucks reflect changes made to Hempfield’s fire service over the past few years. In March 2019, leaders started work to combine the township’s 12 fire stations under one department. The move came ahead of a New Jersey-based Insurance Services Office Inc. rating, or ISO, which takes staffing and response times into account for its score.