Fire department adds new truck to fleet
Published 1:29 pm Wednesday, June 29, 2022
Built in South Dakota, the truck has a 78ft ladder. It has more space and a new, safer feature. Interim Fire Chief R.M. Flowers said. Photo used with permission.
Photo used with permission
The truck is equipped to respond to emergency medical service calls. In situations where the ambulance may be unavailable, the truck can assist instead.
Photo used with permission
Photo used with permission
A new safety feature moved the hose bed from the top of a truck (where it usually sits) to the side. This improves safety because a firefighter does not have to worry about falling 15ft from the truck, plus it saves time, because no one has to climb on top.
Flowers said a five-member committee spent “well over a thousand hours” designing the truck starting in July of 2020. Photo used with permission.
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City of Washington Fire-Rescue-EMS unveiled a new fire truck last Thursday (June 23).
Built in South Dakota, the truck has a 78ft ladder. It has more space and a new, safer feature. Interim Fire Chief R.M. Flowers said.
“It will really help our capabilities in the downtown area with the new construction of Moss East, ” Flowers said, referring to an expansion of the Moss Landing development. The development was a “driving force” behind adding the new truck to help with emergency situations in that area.
Compared to other trucks operated by the fire department, the new truck has more maneuverability making it easier to get through tighter spaces. It can flow 1,500 gallons of water per minute (the standard amount). The new safety feature moved the hose bed from the top of a truck (where it usually sits) to the side. This improves safety because a firefighter does not have to worry about falling 15ft from the truck, plus it saves time, because no one has to climb on top.
The truck is equipped to respond to emergency medical service calls. In situations where the ambulance may be unavailable, the truck can assist instead. Also, it has a color camera at the top of the ladder so firefighters can see where hotspots are located from an aerial view, Flowers said.
Firefighters “love” the new truck, Flowers shared. They like the “huge cab.” There’s more space for tools so they can easily grab and go to the fire.
“The design is so much more user friendly than what we currently had,” Flowers said. “This truck sets the benchmark for what we’ll build from here on out.”
Flowers said a five-member committee spent “well over a thousand hours” designing the truck starting in July of 2020. Battalion Chief Toby Wainwright, Captain Jonathan Patterson, Lieutenant Brett Hamilton, Lieutenant Josh Ingram and Flowers were members of the committee.
Flowers believes the truck will last the department between 20 and 25 years The department has purchased fire trucks since 2006; however, they have not designed a fire truck since 2006, Flowers said. The truck cost an estimated $890,000.
The truck will be housed at Station 2 at West 15th Street.
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