Penn Yan ready for new $725K fire truck pump

PENN YAN--The Penn Yan fire department is putting the finishing touches on their new roughly $725,000 2019 Pierce Velocity Pumper with the hope of getting it into service in October.
"The nicest thing is that we have all three of our pumpers now with the same chassis, pump style and seating capacity so it is much easier to train on," said Derek Christensen, second assistant chief in the Penn Yan Fire Department.
Christensen said the new pumper has all kinds of improvements and new bells and whistles including a 1,000 gallon water tank on board, a pump with a 1,500 gallon per minute rate, a 30-gallon Husky 12 foam system, rear backup camera and a special bumper that stops the pumper from moving if it detects contact.
"The entire back bumper has a rubber piece so if you back up into something it locks the brakes up so it can't move further," Christensen said.
He added that with a tack four independent suspension the new pumper should also offer a smoother ride while the top mounted pump will make it safer for firefighters by keeping them out of the street.
With seating capacity of six, Christensen said the pumper is considered a custom build and that is why it cost so much.
"You're not getting a custom cab for anything less than $500,000. A non-custom cab is just for two people, the driver and the guy sitting next to him. Ours is custom because it seats six."
Christensen said that the department is planning on taking the next week or so planning on how they want the pumper's layout before sending it to be mounted by Churchville Fire Equipment in Churchville, New York. Christensen added that Churchville picked it up from Wisconsin and brought it back to New York.
Churchville should have the pumper ready to be put into service mid-October, depending on how backed up they are, Christensen added.