An official dedication ceremony for the vehicle was held on Wednesday evening. The department saw a large turnout as the new ladder truck stood proudly out in Eagle Street. The process took about three years, said Dunkirk Fire Chief Mike Edwards, after approaching the city in regards to replacing the existing ladder truck that was purchased in 1989.

A committee was formed to research what would be needed.

“It was a long, tedious process,” Edwards said. “We had to figure out what kind of truck best fit the Dunkirk Fire Department and the city of Dunkirk.

We had to see what best meet the demands of our job and consider features that were available at this time that weren’t available 30 years ago.”

OBSERVER Photo by Jo Ward Dunkirk Fire Chief Mike Edwards talks about acquiring the new ladder truck.

Edwards said the truck had to have proper storage space because the truck is also used as a heavy rescue truck and had to carry ground ladders.

“We also thought that a truck with a pump and a tank would give us more versatility, give us more capability to pump water, give easier line deployment,” he said.

The city looked at several trucks from different manufacturers and spoke with several fire chiefs about their recommendations before settling on the Sutphen Company out of Dublin, Ohio.

After deciding the best fit for the company, fire officials then approached the mayor, the city treasurer and the fiscal officer to find out how to pay for it. “We decided the best way was to pay for the truck over 10 years,” Edwards said. “We would go out and bid for that loan and then we would make those payments on the truck from revenue brought in from ambulance transport.”

By using the revenue to make yearly payments, no tax dollars will be used and no tax increase would be issued to the city residents.

The truck arrived in the city on June 30 and is only the sixth ladder truck to ever be bought since 1857.

“The coordination between the city of Dunkirk and the fire department was something that I found to be exceptional,” said Tim Norris, salesman from Extreme Fire Apparatus, about working with the department. “I get to go to a lot of places, and many of the times I get to see a little bit of a tug-of-war. What I found very impressive here is that they worked firmly together on this project.”

Mayor Wilfred Rosas talked of when he first came into office and the need he saw at the fire department.

“When I came into office I immediately took a tour of all of our city facilities and I noticed right away that the fire departments had been neglected,” Rosas said. “There were many issues, not only with equipment, but with the facility itself and the morale from our firefighters was low. I immediately went to work, I went to budget funds and try to find ways to improve our facilities and I can tell you that I’ve seen personally the morale improve.”

The truck was later blessed by Fr. Dan Walsh of Holy Trinity Catholic Church and then placed in the bay where the old ladder truck once sat, ready to begin its life helping the city of Dunkirk.