Matt Weirs, second from right, a representative of Pierce Manufacturing, trains BFD members on a new engine. Photo by Charlie Johnson
The Brookline Fire Department is preparing to put its two new fire engines into action.
All deputies, captains, lieutenants and firefighters in the department are required to undergo training on the new engines, which cost a total of $1.5 million..
Matt Wiers trains fire departments across Massachusetts for the manufacturer Pierce, which made Brookline’s new fire engines. During a training at Fire Station 6 in Brookline last Tuesday, Wiers explained how to use the engine’s pressure governor, which regulates the pressure of water through hoses, and showed the crew how to use the control buttons in the cabin to flip on the front and rear lights.
“There is always something you pick up,” Wiers said. “Remedial training is always good for any firefighter at any level in their career.”
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Most people refer to all fire vehicles as fire trucks, but that’s inaccurate. A fire engine uses water from hydrants or its own supply to pump into hoses.
A ladder, the other type of fire vehicle, might hold a small reserve of water but mainly contributes an aerial platform that can be raised to high places to aim the hoses provided by the engines.
A fire engine’s life span is about 20 years, said Brookline Fire Chief John Sullivan. An engine usually operates on the front line for 15 years and then as a backup for another five. It’s eventually sold for parts or sent to the scrapyard.
The new engines, which will replace Engines 1 and 4, arrived at Fire Station 6 at the beginning of February.
“It’s always an exciting time for the company to get a new piece of equipment,” Sullivan said. “It is equally beneficial for the department and the community.”
The department traded in the old Engine 4, also built by Pierce, for $130,000.
The old Engine 1 will remain on the fleet as a backup under the new name Engine 8.
One of the Brookline Fire Department’s old engines with its hood up, as a representative from Pierce Manufacturing trains firefighters on a new engine in the background. Photo by Charlie Johnson
Justin Tuttle, who has worked at the department for 14 months but spent more than 20 years as a technician at the Worcester Fire Department, said it’s a rare opportunity to work on a new engine because most departments update engines once every 10 or 15 years.
“My Magic 8 Ball doesn’t work all the time,” Tuttle said. “Sooner or later they are all going to break down.”
The last time the Brookline Fire Department got a new engine was in 2019.
Sullivan said the spare engines are used roughly half of the time when the fire department receives multiple reports of fires or other emergencies. Also, if primary engines require maintenance, the spares substitute in.
The Brookline Fire Department’s policy calls for frontline engines to be replaced every 17 years. They rehabilitate each engine every 10 years to give it seven more years of life.
The new conveniences and advances in technology are always beneficial, but Sullivan said he wants the engines to last a long time.
“At the end of the day, they all basically do the same thing,” Sullivan said.
He enjoys having a “shiny red” fire engine but said he looks for a reasonable price and a good investment. He wants to mitigate future repair costs as much as possible.
The old engine’s front cabin was tilted up last Wednesday for repairs because the power steering box had been leaking fluid. Tuttle was waiting for a new box to arrive to replace the faulty one as Wiers wrapped up his second day of training on the new engines.
Sullivan said he expects the engines to be fully operational in the second week of March.
This story is part of a partnership between Brookline.News and the Boston University Department of Journalism.