By Mike Ciampo
The hamlet of New City is located in the town of Clarkstown in Rockland County, New York. It is a suburb of New York City and sits about 18 miles from the city’s Bronx line. The hamlet was formed in 1798 when Rockland County was incorporated and due to the need for a county seat, with the hamlet sitting in the center of the county, it was chosen. The founding members decided to name the hamlet New City when they envisioned forming a “new city” with the forming of the county seat. During the post-war era, with the creation of the Tappan Zee Bridge and Palisades Parkway, the small quaint hamlet saw significant growth and it became a commuter’s paradise. Today it’s a bustling suburb with numerous court buildings and large government center in its downtown area, bringing many people into town daily.
The New City Fire Department Engine Company 1 was formed in 1888 and has provided fire protection and rescue services to the community for over 135 years. The department is a volunteer organization which protects 15 square miles in the New City Fire District. Some of the department’s current apparatus include: a 2022 Rosenbauer Rescue Pumper, 2021 Rosenbauer Engine, 2018 Rosenbauer 1,000-gallon pumper-tanker, 2003 Pierce Dash pumper, 2006 Pierce Dash rear-mounted tower ladder, 2006 Ford F550 BRAT (Brush, Rapid Attack Truck), 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 4-door cab utility truck, and a 2018 Mercedes Benz Transport sprinter van.
In addition to this fleet of apparatus, the department operates a 2021 Rosenbauer Viper 78-foot aerial ladder. Along with the tower ladder, this will be the first time in department history that they will operate two frontline aerial apparatus. Running two aerial apparatus allows the department to have versatility in apparatus positioning options especially when responding to difficult access points and locations throughout their response area.
The Viper’s aluminum cab has a raised roof, and its midline is painted white, with the roof painted red. White and red reflective striping runs along the bottom of the cab and then diagonally up the first compartment and then across the rear body of the truck. The rear of the apparatus has the DOT compliant safety chevron reflective striping.
The unit has both regular hinged compartment doors and Amdor roll-up compartment doors. The truck is powered by a 500-hp Cummins X-12 diesel engine. It has a 400-gallon water tank with Pro Foam System and 30-gallon foam tank. The pump is a Waterous 1,750-gpm, single-stage unit. A Harrison 10-kW hydraulic generator also supplies auxiliary power for the electrically-powered equipment.
The apparatus carries the following ladders in the rear ladder trough: a two-section 24-foot, a three-section 35-foot, a 16-foot roof, and 10-foot folding ladder. On the aerial ladder officer’s side, a 14-foot roof ladder is attached to assist in roof ventilation operations.
In the rear ladder trough, behind the Amdor roll-down compartment door, there is also storage for 400-feet of 2 ½-inch hose on a pull-out tray and tubes for carrying six New York Roof Hooks. The main supply bed sits on the right side of the apparatus above a lower compartment and outrigger. The rig features a unique design that provides firefighter access and ease of packing hose safely and neatly in the hosebed. There are two flip down hosebed steps which resemble compartment doors on the side of the apparatus. When the compartment latches are released, the steps fold downward. Then a firefighter can slide out an additional step if needed from the bottom of the fold down step. There are sets of handrails on the side of the apparatus which assist a firefighter in climbing onto the steps and maintaining their grip during the climbing process.
Sitting in the compartment just behind the pump panel is the unit’s fitting and appliance storage. A pull-out tray with vertical storage allows fittings, nozzles, gates and adaptors to be easily accessible. This compartment also has the unit’s electrical breaker panel box mounted on the front wall while the back wall has a storage bracket for the cordless aerial ladder controls. The left rear compartment has two shelves in it, the top is stationary and carries various electrical lights, power cords, and reels. The bottom pull-out tray carries a Blow Hard exhaust fan and portable Honda generator. The right rear compartment is the truck’s saw storage area. The compartment has a pull-out lower tray that has two Husqvarna rotary saws and fuel mix and bar oil stored in brackets. On the upper fixed half-shelf in the compartment, two chains saw are stored. A Stihl chain saw is used for tree work, while a Cutter’s Edge is used for roof ventilation operations. The large compartment on the officer’s side has two pull-out vertical tool racks which carry an assortment of hand tools. There are also three stationary storage bins that hold three Scott self-contained breathing apparatus with storage for a tool box beneath the bins. On the upper part of the shelf, rope and rigging are stored behind safety nets.
The residents and visitors to the hamlet are in good hands when you see the apparatus and equipment the New City Fire Department operates. The department is steadfast in keeping the apparatus ready to respond; a commitment to training means around-the-clock protection for the community every day.
Michael N. Ciampo is a 38-year veteran of the fire service and a Lieutenant in the Fire Department of New York. Previously he served with the District of Columbia Fire Department. He has a bachelor’s degree in fire science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He is an instructor for FDIC International HOT program. He wrote the Ladders and Ventilation chapters for Fire Engineering’s Handbook for Firefighter 1 & 2 and the Bread-and-Butter Portable Ladders DVD. He writes the back page column On Fire in Fire Engineering and is featured in Training Minutes truck company videos on FireEngineering.com. Recently he wrote the textbook Tower Ladders, Tactics, Tips & Tales available at mikeciampo.com
