Spring Fire’s Apparatus Maintenance Team Keeps Fire Trucks Rolling

by Hannah Falcon

When most people see a firetruck they only think of the flashing lights and water hose, but Spring Fire Apparatus Maintenance Associate Brian Taylor thinks of all it takes to keep those trucks running.

(PHOTO: Tower 70’s cab suspended to get a look at the engine)

“Most people don’t realize how much goes into maintaining firetrucks like this,” Taylor said. “This is an expensive machine to operate; the tires alone are $2600.”

Once a year, the Spring Fire Department Apparatus Maintenance team does routine checks and oil changes on all the vehicles used in the fire department. For a pumper that means checking all the lights and sirens as well as making sure the engine and brakes are still in good condition.

(PHOTO: The engine of Tower 70)

Rather than the kind you would put it in a regular car, Spring Fire mechanics use a special oil for larger fire apparatus. Tower 70 alone takes 52 quarts of oil.

In order to get to the engine, the mechanics need a very high ceiling in order to lift up the ladder high enough to lift up the cab. In fact, the firefighters lift the cab of Tower 70 nearly every day between routine checks just to ensure all is right with the engine.

(PHOTO: Brian Taylor holding a piece of a pumper truck’s brake system.)

“Changing the oil and doing routine maintenance on a pumper takes about an hour, but a Tower takes longer because we have to check all the aerial equipment. Then if the brakes need to be changed, that adds another whole day.”

The Apparatus maintenance team of Red Haney and Brian Taylor is responsible for keeping nearly 40 pieces of apparatus in top shape for whatever 9-1-1 call comes in.

Hannah Falcon is a sophomore Communication major at Texas A&M University. A Staff Writer and Life & Arts Editor for the Texas A&M Battalion, Falcon is spending the summer as a volunteer writer for Spring Fire Community News.