Dundee gets their new $524K fire truck

DUNDEE—The Dundee Fire Department welcomed the arrival of their new PT-8 pumper truck Saturday, March 1. The 2013 Spartan Gladiator was manufactured by Spartan and Crimson in South Dakota and was outfitted according to the specs laid out by the department’s truck committee. Former Chief Ray Miller said the total cost of the truck was $524,000.
“It holds 2,500 gallons,” Miller said. “It’s got a 1,250 gallon a minute pump on it. We got two side dumps and a rear dump onto it.”
Miller said it is a six man cab with a full contingent of ladders on it ranging from 35 to 12 feet. He said the new pumper tanker has around 1,000 feet of five-inch hose, 700 feet of three-inch hose along with 500 feet of pre-connect lines.
“The big difference is the capability of hauling the water,” Miller said. “It’s a tandem axle truck. you can’t put that much water on a single axle. The truck it is replacing was 28 years old and also held 2,500 gallons.”
The truck is 34 feet long and fits more people in it than their old pumper tanker. It comes with a rear backup camera that was not included on any of the department’s previous trucks.
Miller said it is a pretty uniform make of truck amongst fire departments. He said he expects this truck to last 30 years or better. Miller said the truck should be operational within a week’s time after they complete the necessary training required.
“Our truck committee worked a whole year on this,” Miller said. “The delivery was delayed about 74 days from when it was agreed upon.”