After almost a year, our Tanker 14 was officially placed back in service last night at the Commerce St Fire Station.

It may be a surprise to many to learn that our Fire District covers the Croton Watershed area (NYC Water Supply). Which comprises a moderate portion of the south end of our Fire District, this large portion of our first due response area does not have a municipal Water main system. Which also means, no fire hydrants. So we must bring the fire hydrant to the scene on wheels.

Last spring Tanker 14, a 1994 International/Semo was sent out to Bulldog Fire & Emergency Apparatus for a complete refurbishment.

Some of the new features include:

- A 2,600 gallon ploy water tank and extensive bodywork (replaces the stainless steel elliptical tank that frequently leaked)
-added compartmentation that now allows for storage of SCBA’s (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus) as well as other equipment
- due to the new body and ploy tank, T-14 now has a hosebed that consists of 400 feet of 5inch supply hose which previously wasn’t possible due to the old elliptical tank design.
- Complete replacement of the pneumatic side dump valves (cutting edge technology back in 1994) that frequently malfunctioned and failed over time. It was replaced with a more reliable and fully electronic dump valve system and new electronic controls.
- Complete pump refurbishment
- Upgraded LED warning and scene lighting to improve firefighter safety
- Relocated rear camera to improve firefighter safety
- Refurbished interior
- And the most obvious of all, a new RED! paint job to match the current fleet of YHFD apparatus.

The loner engine, “Acting” Engine 275 has been returned to the vendor.

We’d like to thank our mutual aid agencies for assisting us upon request with their Tankers while our Tanker 14 was out of service.

We would also like to acknowledge the hard work that was performed by the Yorktown Heights Fire District and our volunteers at the Yorktown Heights Engine Co. No. 1. Due to their cooperation and dedication. The residents and businesses of the Yorktown Heights Fire District now essentially have a brand new and vital piece of fire apparatus that can safely assist our firefighters in continuing to provide the best possible service for many years to come, while still being financially responsible and practical to our taxpayers.