Ocean City Fire Department Adds New Equipment to Fleet

The Ocean City Fire Department recently took delivery of a brand new 2014 KME engine tanker. The engine, which is equipped with rear and side view safety cameras for backing and parking, will replace an older fire engine that has been in service for nearly twenty years.
 

The interior crew cab has two specialized cabinets that house medical supplies.

Other features include a Booster Line Reel Engine, an international MAXXForce 13 450 HP Motor, light tower red and yellow safety marking on the front bumper and rear of the truck to enhance. “Adding the new tanker to our fleet is going to be extremely beneficial,” stated Ocean City Fire Department Assistant Chief Chris Shaffer. “The body style of the tanker is the same as our current units, but this engine uses different foam and has the ability to hold more water.”

In addition to the new KME engine tanker, the OCFD also recently received 53 self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and six new Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) kits. The equipment was 95 percent funded through the competitive Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The $383,325 grant, when coupled with the required Town of Ocean City match of 5 percent, brought the equipment award total to $403,430.

“We are pleased to have been chosen to receive FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant”, Shaffer continued. “The SCBAs are a critical component in the protective equipment used by our personnel. With a primary response area of 10.5 miles, nearly 9,000 calls for service annually, including HAZMAT, being fully equipped with the latest SCBAs is vital to reducing first responder risk. The safety the SCBAs provide to our members, while also supplying our firefighters the ability to operate in hostile fire ground environments, including high rise buildings, is invaluable.”