Submitted photo

According to a press release from North Lenoir Fire & Rescue, the volunteer fire department recently took delivery of a 2019 Pierce Enforcer custom cab fire engine. The new truck features a Detroit DD13 525 horsepower engine backed by an Allison Transmission, 1500 gallon per minute pump, 750 gallon tank and a low hose bed with almost 5000 feet of fire hose. In addition, it carries a full complement of Hurst eDraulic rescue tools, thermal imaging equipment, LED lighting and an array of firefighting and EMS equipment.

“The new rig is expected to serve our community for more than 20 years and will replace an aging Pierce Saber Engine that has been in service since 1998,” said Brian Wade, North Lenoir Fire & Rescue Chief.

North Lenoir Engine 2 will respond out of North Lenoir Station 2 on Hwy 258 North. North Lenoir Firefighters held a push-in ceremony on Monday night to place the new engine in service. A push-in ceremony is a firefighter tradition to inaugurate a new apparatus, recalling the days before motorized fire apparatus when garaging a hand-drawn hose cart or a horse-drawn steam engine required a hands-on approach.

The delivery of this fire engine is the culmination of more than two years of planning. North Lenoir Fire & Rescue personnel recently visited the Pierce Manufacturing plant in Appleton, Wisconsin to work with engineers on finalizing graphics and equipment layout. The engine was delivered on Dec. 19, 2019 and placed into service on Dec. 30.