Wareham Fire puts new rescue truck into service

Sep 13, 2020

The Wareham Fire District has expanded its fleet, and officially put its newest truck into service on September 13.

The new vehicle is a heavy-duty rescue truck, which the district will use primarily in its responses to car accidents. 

Chief Matt Rowley said that the department responds to crashes on Routes 195, 495, and 25 about two or three times each week.

The truck is outfitted with hydraulic jaws of life, used to pry open damaged cars and trucks to free the people inside, along with other tools that are used to cut and remove sections of cars.

The tools are also used in other rescue situations, such as building collapses or some industrial accidents.

Rowley said the rescue truck, which is custom-built, has been in production for about two years. It arrived at the station about four months ago, and since then, crews have been busy installing all the equipment. 

The taxpayers in the district allotted sufficient funds to buy all new equipment for the truck. Most of the equipment being replaced was at least 20 years old.

The new tools are battery-powered and significantly lighter-weight and more powerful — a big step up for the department.

“It’s a huge morale booster,” said Rowley. “It’s a wonderful piece of equipment.”

Now that everyone in the department has been trained, the new rescue truck can be used to respond to calls.

The department also recently received a grant from FEMA that will fund a new quint, which is a combination ladder truck and pump truck. The specifications for that purchase will be going out in several weeks. The truck that will be replaced dates back to 1985.