May 09--The Freeland Fire Department will officially welcome the latest truck in its fleet, Ladder 57, to its new home this month.
A ceremony dedicating, blessing and housing the 1998 Seagrave low-profile ladder truck will be held May 18 at 3 p.m. and the public is invited.
The truck replaces the 1980 Seagrave ladder truck, which remains in reserve at the borough streets department while the department looks for a buyer, Chief Joseph Stepansky said.
The department found its new truck, which was originally in service in Morrisville, Bucks County, in mint condition at Command Fire Apparatus in Lancaster County for $120,000.
Stepansky and other members drove to Long Island, New York, where a fire company that sustained damage to its own truck during Hurricane Sandy was using it, and saw it in operation.
The truck not only fit the department's needs, but fit its building, said Cal Herring, chief engineer. New ladder trucks are no longer being built with a low profile that fits in the existing building, the Rev. Gary Mensinger, chaplain, said.
Freeland Borough Council agreed with the fire department on the purchase, which is hundreds of thousands of dollars less than buying a brand new ladder truck, Herring said. The department priced a new truck at $832,000, Stepansky said.
The 1998 Seagrave should serve the borough for another 15 to 20 years, Stepansky said. Plus, the truck offers a heavier ladder, better hydraulics and more seating, he said.
The department committed to aerial operations with its first piece of apparatus in the mid-1960s, Herring said. Previously, the only ladder truck in the area was in the city of Hazleton, which would respond to area municipalities in the 1950s and 1960s, Freeland firefighter Bill Kuklis said.
Then, in the 1980s, under former chief John "Jeff" Teliho, the department committed to starting a truck company, which would be responsible for rescue, search, laddering, ventilation and salvage, Herring said.
"We were having a problem with the city," Teliho said. "The city cut staff and didn't have enough to come out and provide assistance."
Teliho along with Stepansky will christen the new truck, after the Rev. Mensinger blesses it, during the ceremony this month.
"It's an honor that we were afforded such a beautiful and nice truck," the Rev. Mensinger said. "It'll be my honor to bless it."
Hazle Township Fire Chief Scott Kostician, who is also a member of the Freeland department, will be the main speaker. Officials from Freeland and Jeddo boroughs also will offer remarks.
Following the benediction by the Rev. Thomas Cvammen, Freeland firefighters will officially house Ladder 57.
Copyright 2014 - Standard-Speaker, Hazleton, Pa.
