The Portage Fire Department at Station 2 commissioned its new fire engine on November 5, 2011. Mayor Olga Velazquez opened the traditional ceremony by saying. “Thank you to the community for your continued support of the Portage Fire Department. Thank you also to all involved in the effort in getting this new fire engine for the Town of Portage. I know there was a lot of research time and effort to get the fire engine for the best price, and thank you to the council members for approving the purchase.”
Captain Ron Ziulkowski said, “This is a ceremonial event. It’s tradition for everyone to participate in the washing of the new fire engine for the first time. It’s a christening that gives everyone a little bit of ownership to the vehicle.”
Chief Tom Fieffer talked about the new features on the new engine, explaining, “This new engine replaces one that was used for 20 years. The new engine holds more water, has a blindside camera on the passenger side, which allows the driver to see better when making right hand turns. There is a ladder on the back which is much faster, safer and more efficient for the firefighters. There are also six compartments on the back which allows more equipment to be on board.”
Some of the other new features include brow lights, which are extremely bright when pulling onto a scene. Even brighter are the tower lights, which allow firefighters to light up an entire area when necessary.
Firefighter Paramedic Pat Newell was on the board that designed the new fire engine. Newell said, “Safety was the first factor that was taken into consideration. The new compartments allow the firefighters to store their equipment so the gear won’t be loose." He continued, "We designed the seating inside the cab so the best care was given to keep the passengers safe. Adding the new blindside camera all takes safety into account. We wanted to find the best configuration possible to maximize our potential.”
This new fire engine was commissioned at Station 2 on Old Porter Rd. in Portage. However, this fire engine isn’t just for Station 2. “[The new engine] is for the whole department, as well as for the community it serves,” explained Newell.
The honor of pulling new fire engine out of the station for the traditional washing went to Firefighter Paramedic Mark Vittetoe. Vittetoe said, “It’s nice to have this. There are five new foam lines, a lot more space for all the gear, all new technology. It’s the newest and the best of anything you can have on a fire engine. Getting all the bells and whistles, it’s like night and day.”
Participating in the traditional washing was Chief Tom Fieffer, Asst. Chief Dan Kodieck, Firefighter Paramedic Pat Newell, Firefighter Scott Klein, Firefighter Paramedic Nate Bryan, Firefighter Paramedic Mike Tallian, Firefighter Paramedic Mark Vittetoe, Firefighter Paramedic Elias Zikkos, Engineer Ray Blazek, along with residents in the community including, 5 year old Cody Smith, of Portage.