Oakmont Volunteer Fire Department plans to replace two old trucks with a new, larger ladder truck.

A 2022 Sutphen Aerial platform truck is scheduled to be delivered in August. The vehicles being sent to auction are a 1971 Mack Aerial ladder truck and a 1996 Pierce Engine.

Fire Chief Joe Flanick said the old Mack had a 75-foot ladder and was often accompanied by the other truck.

“The one we have right now doesn’t carry any water,” Flanick explained. “There’s no pump on it, so you have to have a second engine to pump water to it. The new truck has a pump and water with it. You can do more work with less people.”

The new truck comes with a 100-foot ladder mounted in the middle, similar to the Mack. Flanick said the additional 25 feet is necessary in case of emergencies at larger residential developments, and it also has a better turning radius than trucks from three other manufacturers the department researched the past few years.

“We were looking for something that would be versatile in our community,” Flanick said. “It gives you more accessibility when reaching your points of contact like a roof or something like that. It lets us operate further away from the structures.”

The department also got a deal on the purchase price by going with a demonstration model from Sutphen Corp., a Dublin, Ohio-based business.

Cost of the new truck is about $1.265 million with $1.175 million coming from the borough and $90,000 from the department, with the latter amount covered by its allocation from the state’s firefighters’ relief association.

Oakmont Council authorized the truck purchase earlier this year, with the money coming from last year’s $2.5 million bond issue earmarked for assisting the fire department and completing projects that include replacing the gas lamps along Allegheny River Boulevard with LEDs.

Lindsay Osterhout, council president, said it is important to support the borough’s emergency responders and make sure they have the equipment and vehicles they need to keep the community safe.

“It was a request that’s been coming from the fire department,” she said. “It gives them a higher ladder stand so they can reach further, and it was something that they didn’t have.”

The two old trucks will be put up for sale on Municibid, an online auction of government surplus. Both are in working condition.

Flanick said he is unsure how much they may go for, but any funds from the sales will go to the borough.

“We’re very fortunate and thankful that our borough supports the Oakmont Volunteer Fire Department,” the chief said.

The new apparatus is expected to be showcased in a firefighters’ convention in Indianapolis prior to being delivered to Oakmont later this year. Flanick said it has already been customized to borough specifications, and he does not mind having several thousand miles on it prior to being put in operation.

“If there’s any problem or anything (with the truck), they fix them before you get it,” Flanick said about its usage. “They work out all the kinks.”

The department has 21 active members and answered a little more than 300 calls last year. Its ladder truck was dispatched to about half of them.

The fire station will have to undergo some remodeling to fit the larger truck. Flanick said the department is in the architectural design phase of expanding the rear of the building several feet, but he did not have a timetable for completion of the project.

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