Estevan city council approved the purchase of a rescue pumper truck at its September meeting. The new truck will replace a unit that is 22 years old; trucks are supposed to be replaced after about 20 years of service.
“What we’re getting here is really a one-stop shop,” said Fire Chief Dale Feser. “It’s actually going to be streamlining our ability to get out the door quicker.”
For some of the specialty calls, such as ice water rescue, swift water rescue and grain bin entrapment, the fire department requires a lot of specialized equipment and they don’t have room to place those apparatuses on the current truck. The new truck will be large enough to carry that equipment.
Currently, when those types of calls come in, the firefighters have to load the specialized equipment into a second vehicle and respond to that particular location, along with the rescue truck. This new truck will have everything on board and will be ready to go at a moment’s notice. It can also accommodate six firefighters, one more than the current one, which will help the fire department if it has to do traffic control or help with a landing by the STARS Air Ambulance – things that the fire department didn’t have to do 20 years ago.
The new truck will also be the No. 3 option in the fire department’s fleet, after the main front-line response engine and the aerial ladder truck.
“Its predominant job and design is to respond to rescues, but it is also the third-out engine in fire response issues. It’s a very useful unit, it’s a multi-use unit,” said Feser.
When purchasing a fire truck, the department has to be sure the vehicle has everything the fire department will need for the next 20 years.
The truck that is being replaced has been great and it has served the city very well. Twenty years ago, it did everything the fire department needed it to do.
“We cover over 1,500 square miles with this particular truck as well, so if you get into a motor vehicle collision down Highway 18 out by Oungre, this is the truck that’s going to be out there,” said Feser. “When you’re travelling so far from home, you want to make sure you have all the equipment on there, because it’s not just going a couple blocks down the road.”
The fire department is currently in the compartment design phase for the new unit. If the completed order were to be placed tomorrow, it would take about 16-18 months before it arrives, so it likely won’t be in Estevan until 2022.
As Feser points out, it’s a specific design and purpose, so it takes time to assemble, and the fire truck manufacturer is looking forward to building it.
“Often times, like we normally do, the Estevan fire department is blazing a trail and looking at what our needs are going to be, but I think once a lot of other departments see how we’re building this truck, they’re probably going to catch on and build similar models,” said Feser.
Feser noted that the Fire Underwriter Surveys Laboratory does periodic audits, and releases information, which plays a huge role in the insurance premiums for taxpayers. If Estevan doesn’t maintain its fleet, insurance premiums will rise.
“Quite honestly, for a city of our size, and our fire service training and the service we’re able to provide, we’re at the highest level without going to career servicing,” said Feser.
In addition to its front-line truck and the ladder truck, the fire department has a tanker truck that is designed to respond to motor vehicle calls and wildland fire calls; it can carry 1,500 gallons of water and has a remote-control nozzle on the front, so it can be used in fire suppression efforts if a fire hydrant isn’t accessible.
They have a wildland truck, a utility trailer that is used to pull the UTV for fire suppression, and the equipment for ice water and swift water issues.
