Newfield Fire Co. gets new trucks; chief looks back at 2024 calls

The Newfield Fire Company recently acquired two new fire trucks that were part of a package deal to ensure quality emergency vehicles for the next 20 to 30 years.

Newfield fire chief Zachary Guidi said that his department brought in a 2024 freightliner pumper tanker and a 2023 small rescue truck for $804,000.

The 2024 truck, which Guidi said has not been used on calls yet, comes with a 3,000-gallon tanker that pumps 1,500 gallons of water per minute. The new truck will replace Newfield’s 1997 international pumper tanker.

“[The new truck] has [water] dumping capabilities off the rear and the side,” Guidi said. “The old truck had a rear dump, but chutes were slid onto the back of the truck to get the water out.”

Guidi said the new tanker is a “big improvement” on the old one. The new truck comes with hand tools, air packs, a fire suppression hose, a supply hose, portable pumps and more.

“The old truck had a manual valve to open the rear. The new one is all electronic and able to be done right from the cab,” Guidi said.

Guidi noted that the new tanker, which comes with reflective vinyl and LED lighting, will soon be in service. Additional equipment for the truck, which is on back order, is delaying the new truck’s debut.

The old pumper tanker is out of service and pending a potential sale, Guidi said, noting that the selling price is yet to be determined.

Newfield Fire Co. also bought a small rescue truck. It will be used for vehicle extrication, accidents and other non-fire calls. 

Guidi noted that the rescue truck came at a discount since it was a demo at truck shows in the past.

“We’ve always had a financial plan to replace our bigger apparatus: pumpers and tankers between 20 and 30 years,” Guidi said. “We felt it was time to upgrade.”

Guidi said that his department almost considered purchasing a heavy rescue truck. After careful consideration, Guidi and his staff realized that the package deal with the two trucks was more cost-effective.

“With the price increase of everything, we had other trucks reaching that 20-25 year old mark to replace,” Guidi said. “We decided it wasn’t in our best interest to invest that much money into a new heavy rescue truck that may only run 20-30 calls a year out of our almost 500 calls.”

Guidi said his department got a good deal on the new tanker, adding that the price of fire trucks has nearly doubled in recent years. Guidi mentioned that a custom order now costs $600,000-$700,000 — compared to $400,000 a few years ago.

Guidi noted that the department’s new trucks ring in a new era as they enter the year 2025. 

The Newfield Fire Co. responded to 484 total calls in 2024, which was 24 more than the call volume in 2023.

“We’ve been averaging between the 460-to-500 range for the last couple of years,” Guidi said, noting that the department had 512 calls one year.

Breaking down 2024’s calls totals, Newfield Fire Co. responded to 28 fires, 18 mutual aid calls, 26 accidents, 89 service calls, 11 cover assignments, 22 good intent responses, nine calls for hazardous conditions, 16 calls for alarms only or false alarms and four miscellaneous calls.

“We’ve had a pretty wide variety of calls over the years, especially [in 2024],” Guidi said.

Guidi noted an increase in medical calls in 2024, along with severe weather responses for flooding and broken tree limbs.

One notable call came on Dec. 10. Guidi said his department responded to the Second Wind Cottages site, on Elmira Road, for a fire in the laundry room. The fire, Guidi said, was contained to one appliance due to a quick response from Newfield Fire Co.

“As far as fires in [2024], it was pretty mellow,” Guidi said. “We had our fair share of mutual aid calls to neighboring departments.”

Guidi said that Newfield Fire Co. enters 2025 with a strong group of volunteers. The department is at 35 volunteers, with a majority active and others serving as solely board members.

“We’re doing really well,” Guidi said. “We recently welcomed seven new members this past year, the most we’ve welcomed in a few years. We’re pretty fortunate to have good numbers, especially some from [Newfield] high school.”

According to data, Newfield’s volunteers responded to an average of 1.3 calls per day in 2024. Guidi is hopeful that average will continue in 2025.

“We’re here to serve our community, and we’re happy to do it. We’re looking forward to a safe and productive year in 2025,” Guidi said.

A Facebook post from Newfield Fire Co. stated that the volunteers serve “all while working full time jobs, attending training [sessions] and balancing work/family time. We can’t do this job without the support of our families and community. And for that, we thank you.”

Newfield Notes appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.