The City of Castlegar has a new fire engine on order to replace two aging trucks currently in use.
The 2020 Rosenbauer all-wheel drive pumper rescue vehicle was purchased from Rocky Mountain Phoenix for about $750,000. Production and delivery of the truck will take about a year.
The new truck will replace Engine 2 and the squad rescue truck.
Engine 2 will end its active duty due to its age. The 1994 Volvo-Anderson will be moved to reserve status but will still be used when needed to haul water, personnel and equipment.
The squad rescue truck is a 1999 Ford F-450. It currently houses the equipment needed for rescue operations such as rope rescues and vehicle extrications.
The new engine has a pumping capacity of 1,250 gallons per minute, which is an improvement over Engine 2’s 1,050 gallons-per-minute pump. The engine will also be able to haul six crew members — one more than the current engine.
The new engine is a multipurpose vehicle with firefighting and rescue capabilities. It will house all of the rescue equipment from the retired squad rescue truck. Consolidating multiple functions to one vehicle will also reduce the amount of training needed for the volunteers, reduce congestion on city streets and provide potential cost savings, according to the department.
It also has hazardous materials equipment and aircraft fire suppression capabilities.
“It will be our initial attack apparatus for any structure fire,” said Castlegar fire Chief Sam Lattanzio.
He also says it will be used for highway rescue operations. Because it is also a fire engine, unlike the current rescue truck, the firefighting capabilities add another layer of protection to both passengers of those vehicles and to surrounding areas where a fire might spread.
“What we are trying to do here is put the right equipment in the fire hall that can be multipurpose for multiple different types of situations and emergencies,” said Lattanzio.
Lattanzio said the new vehicle will make Castlegar firefighters’ jobs a little bit easier and provide more rescue and fire suppression capabilities.
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betsy.kline@castlegarnews.com
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