I do not have access to the Vigilant Hose Company’s minutes; all information for this article came from the newspapers. Like everything I post if you have additional information or corrections to the content please pass it along.
In April 1989 the Vigilant Hose Company accepted delivery of their new tank truck. The new rig was three years in the planning according to Danny Byers, company chief. It replaced the 1973 International tanker that was originally purchased in 1953 and refurbished numerous times along with a new chassis in 1973.
4 Guys Inc. of Meyersdale built the new tanker for $91,650. The tanker is a 1989 GMC Topkick, C7D042 with a 1,500-gallon tank, a 500-gallon-per-minute Darley pump, three dump valves and a 2,100-gallon fold-a-tank.
The Vigilant’s received a $45,000 low interest loan from the Pa. Emergency Management Agency’s volunteer loan assistance program to help pay for the purchase. The remainder of the cost was paid for through company funds earned in a variety of fund raising events.
The tanker was shown at fire expo in May 1990 before being placed into service.
On April 6, 1992 the tanker was involved in a single vehicle accident and destroyed. At the time the unit was responding to an oven fire in Southampton Township Cumberland County when it struck an embankment along the Airport Road and overturned. A photos and article of that incident can be found on that date, 2008 on this site http://shippensburgfiredepartment.blogspot.com/2008/04/vigilants-tanker-destroyed-in-accident.html.
2 comments:
Sorry for my belated comments. Checking my records, taken from Company minutes, (minutes are not what they once were, so some of this is spotty) Discussion was held at the July 1989 meeting on the purchase of a new tanker. Motion passed at the September meeting to purchase. The unit was delivered sometime in early April 1990 and the Tanker went into service on May 21, 1990.
As I recall we decided to go with the 1989 model over the 1990 model due to a change in engine for 1990 and we went with the '89 with it's more reliable proven engine.
Thanks for the information Haney. It was also nice just to know somebody out there is watching also. Should be some decorating photos showwing up in the near future.
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