LOU MICHEL - NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Buffalo News (New York)

They're red, they have ladders and can carry up to four firefighters, but they sure don't look anything like fire trucks.

That's because they're not.

They're pickup trucks filling gaps in the Buffalo Fire Department's aging fleet of vehicles when standard trucks are out of commission.

But can they get the job done?

A top fire official said the substitute vehicles are better than nothing at all.

Deputy Fire Commissioner Patrick T. Lewis added that if a pickup arrives first on the scene, a fully outfitted aerial truck and a pumper truck will be close behind.

Dan Cunningham, president of the firefighters union, says precious time in rescues could be lost if a pickup arrives first. Unlike aerial trucks with ladders capable of stretching 75 to 100 feet into the air, pickups carry ladders with a capacity of about 35 feet.

He added that the pickups, which serve as temporary replacements for aerial trucks when they are in the shop for repairs, cannot carry all of the rescue equipment the bigger trucks routinely transport.

"My first concern is the safety of my members, and obviously we serve the public and we are very, very concerned that we won't be able to do our job for the safety of city residents," Cunningham said.

The practice of substituting pickups started a few months ago and is expected to conclude when a backup aerial truck is fixed and three new trucks on order are received by the end of this year, according to Lewis.

In addition, three new pumper trucks are expected in October, the deputy commissioner said, explaining that the city ran into delays when a fire truck manufacturer experienced financial problems.

Should citizens be concerned when they see a pickup roll up to the scene of a fire?

"I'd rather have a pickup truck pulling up with four firefighters than be waiting for the next closest company to come in," Lewis said, adding that firefighters assigned to truck companies often request the pickups when their regular apparatus is being repaired.

"Department members don't want to sit and wait all day for the rigs when they are out of service," Lewis said. "I think we're providing better service to the citizens and taxpayers in a nonperfect world. It's better than having four firefighters doing nothing and waiting for the repairs."

The four available pickups are usually only in service for several hours, the deputy commissioner said in defense of the practice.

Cunningham, however, said firefighters at the station at Ellicott and South Division streets were assigned a pickup Thursday and most of Friday.

Cunningham, who heads Buffalo Professional Firefighters Local 282, said he has received millions of dollars in federal grant money in recent years and should have sufficient equipment.

"Why don't we have fire equipment? They just received $1.5 million for a new fire boat. Maybe they can't spend the money on really needed fire equipment, but this just shows the priorities," said Cunningham, whose union has been working without a new contract since July 1, 2004.

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June 16, 2009