Clayton News Daily

Photo by Elaine Rackley Riverdale Fire Services recently held a christening ceremony for a new quint fire truck.

RIVERDALE — A new fire truck was recently christened by members of the Riverdale Fire services.

City officials said the new quint fire truck is an asset to Riverdale.

“We are pleased for a number of reasons,” said Riverdale Public Safety Director Samuel Patterson. “The number one reason we acquired it is for the safety and security of the citizens of Riverdale. We now have the ability to fight fires in high rises and large commercial fires.”

Patterson said “quick responsiveness” was another reason for purchasing the $500,000 fire truck. The public safety director said the city will no longer have to wait for other fire departments to assist them when they have more than a one-alarm fire.

“Now, we can respond with our internal assets,” he added. “Because we now have pumpers and our own quint truck.”

Patterson said the new fire truck also helps reduce the city’s ISO (Insurance Services Office, Inc.) rating.

“The quint will help us with our ISO rating, which reduces liability from an insurance perspective for our citizens,” Patterson said. “Lower ISO ratings help residents get a lower rate for their homeowner’s insurance.”

Don Cole, the Riverdale Fire Services Chief of Staff, said the city was able to negotiate the price of the new fire truck for hundreds of thousands dollars less than the asking price.

“The quint truck is well worth the money,” Cole said. “The negotiation between the manufacturer and the city of Riverdale yielded a state of the art apparatus for about $100,000 less than other bidders.”