Dallas City News

In their latest American Rescue tour stop Monday, Luzerne County Council members checked out the new Kingston-Forty Fort “Tower 1” fire truck.

Purchased with a $1.8 million American Rescue Plan Act allocation from the county, Tower 1 has a 100-foot ladder, which is 15 feet longer than the vehicle it is replacing, said Fire Chief Frank Guido.

“This could be important for high-rise buildings,” Guido said.

It’s also a “2 in 1” because the apparatus contains a 2,000-gallons-per-minute pump and 800-foot hose, he said.

The 2001 ladder truck that Tower 1 is replacing has no water storage or hose, he said, noting the department will be selling the old truck.

“The easiest way to describe it is like night and day,” Guido told council in comparing the new truck to the old one. “This truck can be set up in under 30 seconds. One button does it all. It’s incredible.”

Kingston and Forty Fort have operated a consolidated fire and EMS department since 2009, and the ladder truck also responds on a first-call basis to Luzerne, Pringle and Swoyersville boroughs, officials have said.

The ladder truck also is second-due in Wilkes-Barre fires.

Guido said the new truck will assist throughout the area if needed because the department is a member of mutual aid.

His department responds to approximately 6,000 calls annually, including ambulance ones, Guido said, describing it as “very, very busy.”

Crews completed an intensive three-day training on the new truck last week with the manufacturer, Appleton, Wisconsin-based Pierce Manufacturing.

Additional in-house training is underway, and Guido said the department will reevaluate in two weeks to ensure everyone is comfortable with the new truck before it is put into active service. The ladder extends from the rear in the new truck, compared to the front on the outgoing one, he said.

Guido thanked council members for the funding.

“Without county council, I don’t know what the municipality would have done,” he said.

County Councilman Gregory S. Wolovich Jr. said public safety is one of his top concerns.

“It’s good to see the money in action,” he said of the American Rescue fire truck purchase.

Council Vice Chairman Brian Thornton concurred, saying the state-of-the-art truck will help residents in multiple communities.

“This is money well spent from the American Rescue funds. This is all about public safety,” he said.

County Council Chairman John Lombardo said a replacement truck was needed and emphasized emergency services were heavily impacted both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is what American Rescue money is supposed to be for,” he said.

Lombardo, a first responder in the Pittston area, and county Councilman Jimmy Sabatino both climbed aboard the truck to check out the array of dashboard instruments and controls.

Sabatino zeroed in on the computerized mobile dispatch terminal that links crews to county 911 as they race to a scene.

“It’s really great to see the synergy from 911 and our first responders,” Sabatino said.

Council’s visits aim to show the public the uses of $55 million in American Rescue awards to more than 100 outside entities.

Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.