New Fire Engine Arrives in South Bethlehem

The Bethlehem Fire Department recently took delivery on a new $534,000 pumper and rescue truck, which will serve as the new Engine 1 at the John L. Schweder Fire Station in South Bethlehem when it is officially placed into service within the next two weeks.

This week, Mayor John Callahan took a couple of members of the local media for a ride in the cab of the new engine.

While riding around the streets of SouthSide, he explained the importance of the new piece of apparatus to the department and talked about equipment upgrades that have been made in the department over the past seven years.

Some facts about the new fire engine:

• It is a 2013 Pierce PUC on a Dash CF chassis. 
• It has a 1,500-gallon-per-minute pump and carries 500 gallons of water.
• The cost of the engine was $534,000 but the city saved $14,800 by paying early for the chassis.
• The chassis is equipped with airbags for the protection of the crew. 
• The engine is equipped with a light tower to light up emergency scenes.
• The engine carries a complement of hydraulic and manual rescue tools.
• It will be first engine to respond to vehicle rescues on I-78. 
• The engine will carry three firefighters at all times.