Waterford firefighter backs firetruck into station, causing damage to both
Waterford — A town firefighter backed a ladder truck into the Cohanzie Fire Department building after refueling it Sunday evening, putting the truck out of commission and causing structural damage to the building.
Cohanzie Fire Chief Todd Branche said Monday a town-employed firefighter working a shift at the Cohanzie department on Dayton Road had taken the truck out to refill its fuel tank at about 8:15 p.m..
A police report identified Mark Parker, 49, as the driver.
Parker backed the truck into a brick column between two of the building’s bays, damaging the bucket on the back of the truck, Branche said.
“He was pulling it back into the bay … and actually backed it into the building,” Branche said.
A water monitor, or a nozzle, and a pipe that carries water out of the truck were also damaged, he said.
Parker was not injured, according to the police report.
The truck, made by Sutphen Corp. of Ohio, will be sent to a dealer-authorized repair center for repairs, Branche said. If the repairs are impossible or too expensive he said, a replacement truck would cost $1 million.
Town building officials ordered that the department’s other vehicles be moved outside until structural repairs can be made to the building, Branche said.
He said the cost of repairs to the building could outweigh the possible cost of the truck’s repairs. The town’s insurance will likely cover both, he said.
“The damage to the truck is one thing, but the damage to the building, dollar-wise, is going to be as much if not more,” he said.
The truck, Waterford’s only ladder tower truck, will be out of commission until it can be repaired or replaced, but Branche said the town’s ability to respond to fires won’t be affected.
“We’ll just have to fill in,” he said.
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