Last Saturday the Milton Engine Company dedicated their new fire truck in memory of past chief and commissioner James J. Vanvliet III [1947-2022]. His obituary highlighted his many accomplishments but stressed that he was instrumental in buying new trucks and overseeing the expansion of the original firehouse.

 

Chaplain Ed Mackey opened with an invocation.  

 

“Heavenly Father, today we celebrate our new apparatus to the service of our community and to your service. Thank you for giving us such an awesome engine to do the work that we love. Today we dedicate this engine to our beloved Chief Vanvliet who is home in your kingdom of grace and love. We pray that he is with us on every alarm that we go into with this beautiful truck. While we still mourn the loss of a giant, we rejoice in his memories of this house, in these trucks and in our hearts.”

 

First Assistant Chief Matt Kneeter said the new truck is a 2023 E-One Cyclone and is a Rescue Pumper and seats 6 – a driver, an officer and four firemen. It took three years for it to be delivered.

 

“It has water and we also carry extrication equipment on here so we built this fire truck specifically to be our first due out for car accidents,” he said. “It carries a whole abundance of rescue stuff between ropes, stokes baskets, Jaws of Life and we have a man and machine kit if someone’s fingers get caught in a machine.”

 

Kneeter said this custom fire truck can also fight active fires.

 

“It carriers 780 gallons of water and has a 1,500 gallon a minute pump and has 800 feet of 2.5 hose and 1,400 feet of 5 inch hose and still has the capability of an attack pumper but we mainly set it up to be a rescue type of apparatus.”

 

Kneeter said the cab and chassis was built in Ocala, Florida and the rest of the body in Buffalo, NY and cost about $800,000; half of which was bonded and the balance came from the department’s reserve fund. Besides the new truck, the department has a pumper tanker and an Engine truck, a Chief’s car and a new utility vehicle [UTV], courtesy of funding from NYS Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson.

 

Chief Stephen Rivieccio had nothing but praise for their late colleague, Jimmy Vanvliet, saying that he was involved in compiling the specifications of each new custom truck, right down to the nuts and bolts.

 

“He brought the first one in and he was part of this last one,” Rivieccio said. “We thought that it was only fitting that this new  truck be dedicated to him.”

 

After the fire truck dedication, the department hosted their annual Lobster & Clam Bake, that began in 2008.

 

Second Assistant Chief Gael Appler Jr., said the money they raise at this event is used to pay for parade related incidentals, shirts and uniform items to name just a few expenses.

 

Appler said this year they sold 280 lobsters and 21 bushels of clams, “which is great. A couple a years ago the price was lower and we were barely making any money. Now it is $100/ticket and we have 25 guys here working 12 hours today.” He said the cost is a fair price with one lobster per ticket and all you can eat of steak, burgers and hot dogs and soda.

 

Appler said it was Vanvliet that brought the department into the modern age.

 

“He was Chief for 20-plus years and was a shop teacher by trade in the Marlboro School system, so when it came to fire science and fire engineering, he just knew it. He was an instructor, a teacher and a great leader. When we lost him it was tough, but we remember him every day that we’re here.”