MARLBORO-The Marlboro Volunteer Fire Company (MVFC) officially put its new rescue truck, a 2025 Ford F350, into service Oct. 14 with a traditional fire service "push-in" ceremony.
According to a news release, the new truck cost a fraction of a conventional rescue vehicle and will improve how the department responds across its rural coverage area. The department's previous rescue truck had become increasingly unreliable, at one point stalling on Route 9.
A new replacement rescue vehicle would have cost upward of $250,000, and comparable used rescue trucks were listed at around $150,000.
Instead, Fire Chief Dan Elliott and the MVFC board purchased a well-equipped 2025 Ford F350 for $67,000 and received a $4,000 trade-in on the old vehicle.
With outfitting that included emergency lights, a siren, a roll-out tray bed, a cap, and rescue vehicle signage, the total came to approximately $78,000.
"The F350's compact size means it can navigate the tight driveways and back roads that define our rural community. It goes to every single call," Elliott said.
"And unlike the previous rescue vehicle, this one requires no special driver's license, which means more of our volunteers can get behind the wheel. Perhaps most importantly, the extended cab can carry up to five volunteers at once, versus the two-person capacity of the old truck. That's a meaningful difference when every second counts."
He said the extended cab also gives people involved in an incident a warm, safe place to sit, a comfort the old truck could not offer. And because the F350 runs on gasoline rather than diesel, the department expects lower fuel costs.
The push-in marked the truck's official arrival. When a new apparatus joins the fleet, volunteers, board members, and friends of the department back the truck into the station by hand, ushering in good luck for the years ahead.
The tradition dates to the era of horse-drawn fire engines. Because horses generally do not back up any real distance, firefighters would unhitch them and push the engine into the bay facing outward, ready for a quick hitch-up when the next fire call came.
"This truck is a reflection of our partnership with the community - smart, resourceful, and ready to serve," said Carol Ann Johnson, president of the MVFC board.
The Marlboro Volunteer Fire Company is an all-volunteer fire and rescue department serving the town of Marlboro since 1948. It has approximately 17 active volunteers and responded to 175 calls in their last fiscal year. Follow the MVFC at facebook.com/MVFC44.
This Town and Village item was submitted to The Commons.