Where the financing and funding for this new engine is concerned, we have additional news which is equally exciting. When grant money from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was made available to the Town of Chestertown, the Chestertown Volunteer Fire Company made application to the committee tasked with the outlay and distribution of funds. In the grant proposal submitted to the ARPA committee, it was our intention to use this money towards the purchase of this Rescue-Engine. You see, the Covid pandemic had disrupted the in-person public fund-raising projects we had planned.

We were thrilled when notified the Town of Chestertown, using a portion of the ARPA grant money, would pay off the balance owed… $448,657.60. This is a wonderful gesture which helps to alleviate the pressure of new apparatus fund-raising. We are indebted to the Town Fathers and extend our utmost appreciation to the ARPA committee for understanding the dilemma which Covid had placed on us. In our long-term apparatus replacement plan, this unexpected windfall places us head and shoulders high towards the next apparatus replacement project.

Earlier on Friday, at the county Public Safety Complex on Flatland Road, where Rescue-Engine 6 had been stashed before the big introduction that evening, Town Council member Tom Herz met with Chestertown VFC President Dave Eason and Fire Chief John “Otis” Darling. He had been instrumental in making the ARPA payout happen. Unfortunately, because of a prior family commitment, he was unable to attend Friday evening.

We would like to give an enthusiastic “SHOUT-OUT” to Steve Dorfman (no photo), the Sutphen engineer whom worked with our committee to custom design this Rescue-Engine. The committee members say he was awesome to work with. Also, another huge “SHOUT-OUT” to Team Beaver, the Sutphen East crew that finished assembly at their facility in Lake Ariel, PA. According to the committee members, this group of guys were, to coin the phrase again, awesome to work with. They were attentive and responsive to all questions and concerns the committee had. As we have no individual photographs, we share their group logo, which has been placed in the windshield of Rescue-Engine 6.

Also of special note…. To commemorate our new Rescue-Engine, a challenge coin was commissioned. Every member of the fire company will be provided one. This is the very first of it’s kind for Sutphen.

Finally? It was brought to our attention we inadvertently overlooked several members of the New Apparatus committee. Some of the committee members were not able to attend Friday evening. The ones that did make it were recognized, or not fully recognized, in the photographs. The entire committee included...

Chris Carter (not pictured)

John "Otis" Darling - Chief

Dave Eason, Jr. (not pictured)

Renny Grapes - Assistrant Chief

Claude Joyner - Assistant Chief (not pictured)

Donald Hodges, Sr. (not pictured)

Phillip Lott

Mike Olsen

Brad Russum - Deputy Chief, Board Member

Our profound apologies to those initially overlooked, or not fully recognized. This was wholly the fault of the author, and no one else.

Please see the individual photographs for names.

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New Rescue-Engine 6 is a 2022 Sutphen. It is designed to carry six (6) personnel in seatbelt-equipped seating. It has a 1500 GPM (gallons per minute) fire pump and carries 1000 gallons of water. It is equipped with a foam tank and proportioner for combatting flammable liquid fires. The rig is powered by a Cummins L9 450 horsepower motor. The transmission is an Allison Gen 5, EVS3000. It has a 6kW generator for providing electrical service on emergency scenes.

Rescue-Engine 6 will host a complete complement of rescue equipment, including the Hurst “Jaws-of-Life” system, which includes Hydraulic Spreaders, O-Cutters, and Rams. It will also carry firefighting hose and equipment, allowing it to operate in a firefighting capacity.