New Fire Truck should improve emergency response times in City of Lenoir

LENOIR, NC (November 3, 2023) ⇒ The City of Lenoir Council recently dedicated a brand-new fire truck that is being housed at Fire Station 2. The truck is a 2023 Sutphen rescue pumper, and it should help reduce rescue response times in the city.

Named “Engine 2,” the truck is a pumper that can hold 1,000 gallons of water. Engine 2 can flow 1,500 gallons of water per minute, and it includes a complete set of battery-powered extraction tools. Engine 2 is powered by a Cummins L9, six-cylinder, 450-horsepower, diesel engine.

“Thank you to the Mayor, the Manager, Council, the Finance Director, and our firefighters for making this happen,” Fire Chief Norman Staines said. “I inherited this project. It was well underway when I started, but I got to come in and see the truck delivered.”

Engine 2 plus the equipment cost $738,900. The truck was a demonstration vehicle that Sutphen took around the country to show off to other fire departments. Since it is a demo truck, the City got a great deal. The same truck today would cost around $1 million.

“This is a great addition to the Fire Department,” Mayor Joe Gibbons said Friday, October 27, 2023. “We would like to dedicate this truck today to our City of Lenoir firefighters, who do such a great job.”

The City of Lenoir Fire Department operates three fire stations. Station 1 is located in Downtown Lenoir. Station 2 is located on Norwood Street in the Whitnel area, and Station 3 is located on Wilkesboro Boulevard in Lower Creek.

In addition to the new Engine 2, the Fire Department has 10 more apparatus including:
• two fire engines
• two ladder trucks
• a rescue truck
• a tower truck
• three QRVs (quick response vehicles)
• and an ambulance.

The department will also now have a reserve engine, Engine 11, which will improve the City’s ISO rating.

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