On Sunday, September 20th, the Croton-on-Hudson Fire Department finally placed into service our new "Utility 14" - a Special Support Vehicle purchased in 2014.

The vehicle is a Ford F450 crew cab 4x4 with a custom body built by Knapheide. The truck was constructed at Burquip Inc. in Bedford Hills, NY. Some of it's features include a portable electric winch that can be used on the front or rear of the truck, as well as chain saws, trash pumps, traffic management equipment and hand tools.

U14 is a new type of vehicle for the department that will be used as a support unit during day to day operations, and will allow us to keep the equipment carried on our primary apparatus in service and in town when our apparatus go out of service for maintenance.

With Engine 119 out for an extended period of time for repairs, the decision was made to put U14 into service with our FAS Team's equipment. As you may notice from the photos, the vehicle isn't fully completed yet as it is awaiting installation of more warning lights, scene lights and lettering. Once Engine 119 returns from repairs and our other apparatus complete their maintenance cycle, it is expected that the rest of the work needing completion will be done.

A $5,000.00 Grant received by ADT Home Security in 2013 helped with some of the cost of this vehicle. (Info about this grant can be found here: http://www.crotonfd.org/apps/public/news/newsView.cfm?News_ID=70)

Our thanks to Burquip, as well as the Croton Department of Public Works Fleet Manager Dana Conners for helping make this "dream" a reality for us. We anticipate this vehicle will bring many years of service to our department and to the residents of Croton-on-Hudson, as we now have a true multi-purpose support vehicle.