As per tradition, the Lacombe Fire Department, along with Mayor Steve Christie debuted the department’s brand new fire engine, Engine Three, last Friday.
The new engine will replace Engine One, which will soon be donated to the department’s Project Paraguay to be used with another department in need.
According to Deputy Fire Chief, Heith Johannson, the new fire engine was specifically designed for the needs of the department and the communities it will serve; the department itself requested these design features.
“Engine Three was designed by our team of firefighters and officers alike, countless hours have been spent in meetings, researching and debating what all should go into the new engine and I thank those on the design team for their work that brought us here where we are today.”
The $600,000 engine has many updated system changes that shadow those of Engine One including a closed back cab, increased capacity of water as well as two different classes of foam that will help the fire department continue to be prepared to extinguish fires.
“Anyone who has to get geared up in the back of an open-cabbed truck and run to a call in -30C weather will certainly appreciate the enclosed cab. With safety features such as noise reduction, enclosed cabs, rollover protection and seatbelt honouring system, Engine Three will keep Lacombe firefighters safer as they serve our community well into the future,” explained Johannson.
Christie, on behalf of City and council who played a large part in purchasing the new truck, congratulated the team on the arrival of their new engine and thanked the department for their dedication and hard work they have put into the community.
“Thank you very, very much for the hard work you put in and we know that it’s not just when there are emergencies; we know that you’re here on Mondays for practices, we know that you’re here on Thursday nights for crew changes.”
Christie also added the City and council will continue to do the best they can in order to provide the best equipment for the department and keep its volunteers safe by doing so.
“It’s not an easy thing to do, when people are running away from an incident, you guys are going to it so thank you for all that you do and congratulations on your new truck.”
Department members and their families all joined the mayor in pushing the enormous truck into the department, commemorating the arrival of their new engine.
Fire Chief Ed van Delden said that not only does modern equipment improve the service of the firefighters, but also is an important aspect to their safety.
“This engine is unique and was designed for the specific needs and limitations of the community today, also what we think what might be asked of us in the future. The engine replacement will make a significant effort in ensuring that this engine meets our needs now and will be useful 20 years into the future.”
Now that the engine has arrived, the department will spend the next few months training on the truck in order to make sure everyone can operate the engine smoothly before it is put into service.
shelby.craig@lacombeexpress.com