Southeast Community College’s Fire Protection Technology program has added a shiny, bright-red fire engine to its lineup of training equipment.
Terry Spoor, program chair, said students in the summer quarter, which begins July 11, would be the first to train on the new truck.
“SCC had gone through a series of donated units,” Spoor said. “We had a whole history of second-hand fire apparatuses. We are very thankful for those, but they were older pieces of equipment and not optimal.”
SCC’s ongoing effort to train students on the latest technology, regardless of program, led to the purchase of the new fire engine. Engine 17 is a 2012 Pierce Responder and cost approximately $180,000. It features a 1,250-gallons-per-minute Waterous pump and a 1,000-gallon poly tank. It contains high side compartments and rear-mount ladders.
“This is more representative of the type of equipment our students will be working with, in both career and volunteer fire departments,” Spoor said. “We now have a state-of-the-art piece of equipment to teach with in the program.”
Many safety improvements were made with this model, Spoor said, including a pressure regulation device for the pump, lighting in and around the apparatus for night-time operation, accessible ladders mounted under the tank, and a low-mount pre-connected hose bed behind the fully-enclosed four-door cab.
Second-, third- and fourth-quarter students in the Structural Firefighter I, Structural Firefighter II and Structural Firefighting Operations classes will be the primary users of the new truck, Spoor said.
“The (Structural) Firefighting Operations class will go through simulated situations where students will deploy as if they were on an actual emergency scene,” Spoor said.
The Freightliner M2 has a 38,000-pound gross vehicle weight chassis and is powered by a Cummins ISB 330 diesel engine. It also has an Allison 3000 EVS five-speed automatic transmission. The unit is National Fire Protection Association 1901-2009 compliant.
Persons wanting more information about SCC’s Fire Protection Technology program are asked to contact Spoor at 402-437-2677 or [email protected].