New Hartford Fire Department hopes to raise money for new tanker

For several years, the New Hartford Fire Department has been working to replace their old, outdated tanker. With nearly $20,000 raised so far, they are hoping to close in on their goal and purchase a new tanker by the end of the year.

Steve Burrell, a member of the New Hartford Fire Department who serves as the department’s secretary and treasurer, says the current tanker is from 1981, and is on its last leg.

“Our current tanker is an older system and there are numerous issues with it,” Burrell said. “Because it’s older there are a lot of safety issues; there is no roll cage, no shoulder seatbelts, and other things like that. There are also a lot of maintenance issues. It’s an older truck, so we’re constantly repairing the same issues and putting a lot of money into repairs that could be going towards other things.”

Another issue is that the current tanker only holds 1,500 gallons, or about ten minutes worth of water going full blast. Burrell says the department could hook up to a hydrant, but because of the smaller, older condition of some of the water lines, there is a possibility of collapsing the line. With a limited water supply, the department has to rely on mutual aid from other departments when fighting larger fires.

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