The Glade Volunteer Fire Department has a fancy new ride.
But it's just not for getting from here to there when it comes to answering calls.
In February, the department took possession of a brand new 2011 Ford truck designed specifically to fight brush fires with a state of the art Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS).
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Times Observer photo by Dean Wells
Brand new truck
Glade Volunteer Fire Department has taken possession of a new vehicle that specializes in fighting brush fires using a top of the line foam dispersion system.
The system allows Glade's firefighters to hose down a blaze with foam with varied consistency, depending on the situation.
"You can make it like shaving cream or wet so it goes everywhere," said Glade Chief Terry Carlson.
Carlson said the foam is incredibly efficient when it comes to fighting fires.
The $145,000 brush unit was paid for using a pair of federal grants. The truck replaces an older military model the department used for years.
"It was just getting old and tired," Carlson said. "It was time to replace it."
The brush unit's CAFS system operates using a water tank which contains a separate foam storage tank. According to Carlson, 10 gallons of water mixed with five gallons of foam creates the equivalent of 1,500 gallons of fire-suppressing water.
The truck was outfitted by Fire-Fly Fire Equipment, based in Cranesville, Pa. A pair of the company's technicians were at the fire department on Tuesday doing last-minute adjustments.
"This was definitely one of our best projects and one of the most fun," said Fire-Fly's Brian Borland. "It was something new, something different. A lot of fire departments haven't turned toward CAFs yet. They are still stuck on water."
Borland drove the truck to a fire department show in Monroeville several weeks ago. He said the unit drew a massive amount of attention.
"It ended up being one of those projects that just blew people away," Borland said. "People were coming up as soon as we arrived. Our booth looked like we were giving away free beer."
Fire-Fly purchased the truck from a Ford dealer containing just the cab and frame rails, installing the equipment and custom console at its shop. Carlson paid a visit to the shop during the construction to oversee the build.
"We really put a lot of time and effort into it to make it a good truck for them," Borland said. "This is set up for exactly what they need."