Cranberry officials commemorate acquisition of new fire engine
A long-anticipated investment in public safety became a reality Wednesday night as Cranberry Township officials and firefighters marked the arrival of new equipment designed to protect residents for decades.
A push-in ceremony was held at the fire station to place a new Pierce fire engine into service, capping a four-year process.
The tradition dates to the era of horse-drawn fire apparatus, when firefighters and residents physically pushed equipment back into the station after a call.
“The fire truck is a symbol of pride, but it’s also a symbol of readiness to the entire community,” said Scott Garing, Cranberry Township’s chief of fire and emergency services. “All of the folks that were there had a hand in it in some way, shape or form.”
Garing said the engine cost about $700,000 in total after the purchase agreement was signed in 2022.
He said signing the contract early helped protect the township from rising costs and a longer delivery timeline.
“If you bought that fire truck now, it would probably be upward of $1 million,” he said. “We signed the contract before there was a price increase on purpose and immediately after, it jumped from a three-year waiting window to four years within weeks.”
“We were really trying hard to ensure that we were getting all of the right pieces of the puzzle put together,” he added.
Garing said he has also helped develop a long-term capital plan that will allow the township to replace fire engines on a 20-year cycle and plan ahead for major purchases.
With the assistance of the finance department, he said officials will have an understanding of how much money is in capital funds at any given time based on the growth of the township and other relevant factors.
“The entire thing is solvent and will take care of itself all the way through 2050,” he said.
In the meantime, it didn’t take long after the ceremony for the new fire engine to be put into action. Garing said that within 30 minutes, it ran four back-to-back calls, two for structure fires and two for fire alarms.
“It was awesome,” he said. “I’m glad that as soon as we put it into use, it proved itself. It drives and runs really nice and it’s definitely a piece of pride for the organization.”
