Labrador City will soon have an extra dash of red.
The city has been approved for funding of a new 1050 GPM Pumper fire truck through the provincial government’s budget of $3.9 million for new firefighting vehicles across the province.
Fire Chief Joe Power said it’s a much-needed addition.
“We’re looking forward to it. One of our pumpers is a 1990, and the other is a 1995, but they’re in good shape. But the pumping capabilities on this will be better, and we need a new pumper to protect the community.”
Power said the new truck, identical to the truck Wabush recently received, has generated a lot of buzz around the station.
“Everyone, even the volunteers, is excited about getting a new truck. We did some training with the Wabush fire department and got to have a look at their truck and we were impressed.”
The 1050 GPM Pumper is a quad cab that seats four firefighters. It holds 1,000 gallons of water, twice that of the 1995 fire truck currently in use, and the equipment is monitored by computer rather than manual gauges.
“All you’re going to have to do is hit buttons. Getting the water from the first hose to the firefighter will be much faster.”
The provincial government has approved 70 per cent of the total cost of the $232,000 fire truck, and after the reduction of a GST rebate the city will pay the additional amount of $66,500.
Any additions that may be added to the truck in the future would be paid for by the municipalities.
Power still hopes for additional equipment to accommodate the fast growth in the community, he said.
“We hope for a ladder truck. The community is going to be growing. We’ve got some four-storey apartment buildings and they’re building more. The ladder is going to help firefighter safety, and if there’s someone trapped in the building it will make for a faster rescue.”
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