Revere Fire Dept. welcomes two new “meaner and leaner” pumpers

  Just before Christmas, Revere Fire Department Chief Christopher Bright shared some good news with residents. The Department has picked up two new pumpers which were designed for firefighting in tightly packed urban neighborhoods.

  The pumper trucks carry 560 gallons of water to wherever it needs to go. After all members of the department complete training, the E-One Typhoon custom-built pumpers will be assigned to Engine Companies 3 and 5.

  Bright said that in recent years firefighting vehicles have been growing bigger and wider. “That didn’t work for us,” said Bright. “These pumpers will be a little meaner and leaner,” he said.

  The Fire Department also received a high-water rescue vehicle, a huge truck with big tires and plenty of high-ground clearance that should assure residents in parts of the city prone to flooding that the Fire Department has their backs. “We have 100-year storms coming every year now,” said Bright, who added that he now feels better about the department’s ability to respond to different emergencies.

  In recent years, especially pandemic years, Revere has struggled with a need for additional equipment. Last year, the department was using a borrowed Chelsea fire truck when it bottomed out on Cushman Avenue on the way to a call, which caused extensive damage, placing that truck out of commission.

  “Our neighbors have helped out,” said Bright, adding that every fire department is hurting for equipment.

  “It’s not just a Revere Fire Department problem,” he said. “Everyone’s scrambling to keep apparatus.”

  And it’s not just finding the roughly $750,000 for a new fire engine. It’s also a challenge to continually repair and maintain the new equipment.

  There are state and federal grants available to help local fire departments stay equipped, and Bright said he is always looking out for those opportunities. But in a Facebook post, he thanked Mayor Brian Arrigo and CFO Richard Viscay for finding the funding for the new trucks.

  Like other city services, the fire department has endured staffing and budget cuts while the city has continued to grow. “We’re slowly gaining back to where we need to be,” said Bright. “This will help us a lot.”

  But Bright also acknowledged there are still huge projects going up in Revere and nobody is exactly sure where they’ll need to be until they arrive. “We’re trying to lay the track for it now,” he said.