Suffolk News-Herald

The City of Suffolk Department of Fire and Rescue recently took delivery of a 2004 Pierce Enforcer fire engine. At a cost of $346,000, this truck will replace Engine 2, which has been in service since1991. Capt. James T. &uot;Jim&uot; Judkins, coordinator for Suffolk Department of Fire and Rescue’s Division of Emergency Management, said the old engine had logged 6,862 hours. Also it ran 2,236 calls for assistance.

Judkins said the new fire engine would operate out of Station #1 on Market Street.

&uot;The truck’s features include a 1,250 gallon per minute pump, a 750-gallon water tank, a six person enclosed air conditioned cab, a generator with a 650-watt telescoping floodlights, and 360 degree roll-over protection,&uot; he said. &uot;It is the newest in state of the art equipment and is expected to be of great service to the department.&uot;

The old engine #2 ran only a portion of the 8,847 calls for assistance in 2003. That figure, said Judkins, was released by Suffolk Fire Chief Mark R. Outlaw.

&uot;That figure is an increase of 1,270 calls from the same period in 2002,&uot; said Judkins. &uot;Because of Hurricane Isabel, the month of September was the busiest for firefighters with 1,018 calls.&uot;

Engine Company #1ran the highest number of calls, 1,710, for the year. Engine 9, responding from the Kings Highway Station, reported the greatest increase in calls with 201, up from 40 reported in 2002. Battalion &uot;B&uot; was the busiest shift with 2,870 calls for 2003. Friday and Saturday were tied for the days for the most structure fires. Wednesdays showed the greatest number of vehicle accidents with injuries.

&uot;The total value of all structures involved in fire loss was $12,311,622,&uot; said Judkins. &uot;They sustained $2,305,472 in damage, indicating an 81.27 per cent save rate.&uot;

The following is a breakdown of calls based on their classification:

Building Fires: 111

Fires in other Structures: 6

Cooking Fires: 30

Chimney Fires: 6

Fuel Burner/Boiler: 15

Trash or Rubbish (fire contained): 10

Total Structure Fires : 178

Fires Outside of Structures: 26

Brush Fires: 42

Rubbish Fires: 41

Vehicle Fires:101

All Other Fire: 39

Total Other Fires: 249

Rescue/Medical Emergency: 5,092

Hazardous Materials: 101

Other Hazardous Responses: 555

False Alarm/ False Call: 597

Other Responses: 1,948

Total Responses by

Driver Volunteers : 127

Total Other Incidents: 8,420