New fire rescue trucks expected to save lives in Mississauga
Published January 22, 2024 at 12:50 pm
Two new “state-of-the-art” heavy rescue trucks that have joined the Mississauga firefighting fleet are expected to save lives and reduce emergency response times to potentially thousands of calls each year.
Mississauga Fire Chief Deryn Rizzi said the pair of fully-stocked heavy rescue vehicles, the first of their calibre to join Mississauga’s ranks, “represent a substantial investment in the safety and well-being of our community.”
Officials with Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services say firefighters on the front lines respond to some 30,000 emergency calls annually across Canada’s seventh-largest city, “making it essential to have a robust fleet of emergency vehicles that can handle any situation at a moment’s notice.”
The two new trucks are outfitted with equipment and capabilities that will allow firefighters to deal with many different types of emergency calls.
“They are integral to our mission of providing prompt and effective emergency response services, ensuring that our highly skilled firefighters have the necessary resources to handle complex and challenging situations efficiently,” said Rizzi.
Mississauga Fire Chief Deryn Rizzi speaks at city council late in 2023.
Fire officials say the heavy rescue trucks provide firefighters with “state-of-the-art resources to efficiently respond to challenging and complex situations. They are uniquely designed to carry specialized equipment used for complex emergency scenarios.”
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Such emergency scenarios include:
- light- and heavy-vehicle collisions
- trench rescues
- high- and low-angle rope rescues
- confined space rescues
- industrial, machine and elevator accidents
- structural fires
- medical emergencies
The new trucks are also equipped with a variety of technical rescue tools, including:
- battery-powered hydraulic extrication tools
- stabilizing struts used to provide structural shoring and vehicle stabilization
- rope rescue devices
- confined space equipment
- trench rescue tools
- rigging hardware
- machinery and elevator rescue tools, among many others
“The heavy rescue vehicles will be strategically deployed across Mississauga to maximize coverage and improve response times, further enhancing our ability to protect lives and property,” Mississauga fire officials said. “These new vehicles will also provide support for emergencies such as structure fires, atmospheric testing, medical crises and motor vehicle collisions.”
The new trucks, which are 24 feet in length and carry six firefighters, were made by Pierce Manufacturing, in Appleton, Wisconsin.
They’ve been added to a Mississauga firefighting fleet that already includes 17 pumper trucks, eight aerial trucks, four squad trucks and several other support vehicles including a Hazardous Response Vehicle, Air Rehab Unit, Command Post and three District Chief Command vehicles.
Additionally, one electric-powered pumper truck, the first electric vehicle in Mississauga’s fleet, is due to arrive in August, officials note.
“The (electric) vehicle will support the City of Mississauga in lowering its carbon emissions while boasting eco-friendly features that minimize noise and exhaust emissions,” city fire officials said.
Range of the EV pumper is expected to be about 100 kilometres and it will require a 90-minute charging cycle to fully power up the battery using a DC fast charger.
A pumper truck carries smaller firefighting equipment such as ventilation fans, saws and smaller hand tools whereas a squad truck carries equipment related to vehicle extrication and rescue.
Front-line pumper trucks are always staffed with at least four firefighters.
Fire officials say the life cycle of an average front-line truck in Mississauga is 15 years.
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