The Carbondale Fire Department is Out With the Old and In With the New

The Carbondale Fire Department is scheduled to receive four new trucks in the upcoming months.

Carbondale Fire Departments current truck in service (Camryn Miller)

The department is due for an update, the trucks in service right now are a 2003 and a 2013. The truck pictured here is what the assistant chiefs drive every day, it is a 2013 Ford Expedition.

They received one Ford F-150 Hybrid truck in August that is currently having radios and emergency lighting installed. After the radios and lighting are installed, the truck will be receiving graphics as shown in this computer generated picture from Assistant Chief Rob Miller.

The Carbondale Fire Departments new truck look (Rob Miller)

All four trucks they are receiving will be in the Ford color Rapid Red. 

They are set to receive the second F-150 Hybrid in mid October and the third F-150 Hybrid sometime in December. The exact date is not yet released, but as of now, they will be receiving the fourth truck, an all electric Ford F-150 Lightning, at the first of the year. 

The three Hybrid trucks will be dispersed between the Assistant Chiefs and the Training Officer. Fire Chief, Mike Hertz, will be receiving the all electric Ford F-150 Lightning.

The City of Carbondale is going to be installing two brand new charging stations located in the parking lot of the Fire Station to help keep the trucks charged up and ready to respond to any emergency. 

There were many reasons behind getting these new trucks. 

Fuel economy is a big one, with the three trucks being hybrids and mostly in town use, the vehicles will operate on the electric side of the drivetrain therefore cutting emissions and fuel cost. 

When asked how these fuel savings will affect the budget for the next fiscal year, Fire Chief Mike Hertz said, “Right now, we are over budget. This is partially due to changes that were made in the gasoline budget this fiscal year and also due to gas prices skyrocketing. Right now, we should be at 42% of our budget and we have used 58%. 

“Our hope is that we can get the new trucks in service in time to save money before the end of the fiscal year in May to set us back on track. Going from running 4 gasoline-driven trucks to three Hybrids and one all-electric truck will put us way under the budget for next year.”

Another reason and possibly the most important is that the Fire Service has done studies and found that it is best to separate the driver and his fire gear, the reason for that is because the carcinogens on the fire gear have been linked to cancer causing agents.

Assistant Fire Chief Rob Miller’s fire gear (Camryn Miller)

The new trucks will allow Firefighters to store their gear in the bed of the truck rather than in the passenger compartment with them.

According to the CDC Cancer is the number one leading cause of death among firefighters.

When asked about how the new trucks are going to positively affect and improve every shift, Assistant Fire Chief Rob Miller said, “The vehicle will have new radio systems allowing for better communication capabilities, along with new safety features like warning lights, and reverse cameras.” I bet you didn’t know that in the Fire Service most vehicle accidents happen while backing up. 

These new trucks are going to be an amazing addition to the Carbondale Fire Department. 

The trucks will respond from anywhere to 1,700 to 1,800 calls per year, those calls include car accidents, medical emergencies, people trapped in elevators, and of course structure fires. 

Be on the lookout for The Carbondale Fire Departments new rides in the upcoming months.