New Engine 3 Arrives in New Glarus
The New Glarus Fire District’s new Engine 3 rolled into town Tuesday, bringing 2,300 gallons of water, a 1,500-gpm pump and 605 horsepower — and plenty more to explore inside our detailed look at the department’s newest truck, complete with extensive photos and specifications.
A big red addition rolled into New Glarus Tuesday evening, Aug. 25, as the New Glarus Fire District took delivery of its new Engine 3, a CustomFIRE pumper-tender built on a Spartan Gladiator chassis.
The truck replaces the district’s 2002 Engine 3, another Spartan Gladiator/CustomFIRE apparatus that carried 2,500 gallons of water and had served the department for nearly a quarter-century.
Deputy Fire Chief Jim Moldenhauer said the district and Fire District Board established an apparatus replacement schedule years ago that generally places trucks on a 25-year rotation. As apparatus age, he said, repairs can quickly become much more than routine maintenance.
“When you look at the repair and maintenance cost, it's no longer ‘nickel and diming you to death,’” Moldenhauer said. “Those costs can be in the tens of thousands of dollars for each repair.”
The old Engine 3 has been sold to a fire department in Nebraska, Moldenhauer said.
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