The cira-1992 fire engine that was based out of the Langhorne-Middletown Fire Company’s Station 22 on Langhorne-Yardley Road is officially out of service. It’s replacement, a custom-built 2015 Precision fire engine arrived this week with much fanfare at the station.
The new engine will join utility and brush trucks that watch over Middletown’s northern end and assists firefighters around the county.
Credit: Tim Reeves/Submitted
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Fire Chief Frank Farry said the new truck arrived straight to Middletown from the factory in Missouri. He noted the shiny red truck did have to reroute, ironically, due to a truck fire on the Turnpike in Upper Southampton.
The new truck that will carry local volunteer firefighter can pump 1,5000 gallons of water per minute and holds 540 gallon in its tanks, which is more than the previous truck could handle.
While the old fire engine still worked, Farry said it was well past its 15-year life cycle and had, so far, avoided any major repairs.
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Noting that the old Engine 22 was first to arrive at a recent fires on Brownsville Road and on Trappe Lane, the chief explained why having a the truck at station was much needed.
The old truck, which was formerly based in the fire station in Langhorne, became a necessity after the new station was build in 2009 along Langhorne-Yardley Road. Having a fire engine dedicated to serving the northern part of Middletown has become needed as the area has grown, Farry said.
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The old Engine 22 will be sold in the coming weeks. Many times older fire engines from Bucks County are sold to smaller fire companies across the nation.
The new truck cost $630,000. The funding came from a $250,000 Bucks County Redevelopment Authority casino gaming grant and the rest was supplied by Middletown.
Credit: Tim Reeves/Submitted
