Vancouver hopes to be the first city in Canada with an electric fire truck, reports theprovince.com, as the city has ordered a $1.5 million Rosenbauer RT pumper. The city hopes to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030.

Fire officials expect to have the apparatus inspected a year from now and responding to calls by mid-2023.

The battery-powered pumper, which recharges when plugged in at the station, comes with a diesel range extender, which aims to allow the truck to be operational for longer than normal—about 62 miles and 90 minutes, the report says.

The cost of a traditional diesel pumper truck is $1.2 million, and officials note that when vehicles and larger pieces of equipment are electrified the cost is often 50% more, according to the report.

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In addition to the environmental benefits, the apparatus also boasts:

-If stopped at a red light and boxed in, the pumper can turn all its wheels to move sideways out of traffic.

-If there’s a disaster, the truck body can be raised to pass over road debris.

Officials say Berlin recently completed 440 runs with its Rosenbauer RT, using electric power 99.81% of the time, and, in four months, it used just more than two gallons of diesel. In addition, the apparatus’ batteries are estimated to last up to 20 years.

The Muscle Shoals (AL) Fire Department received a $49,191 Homeland security grant to upgrade its radios, reports waff.com.

The funds aim to allow the department to replace hand-held base radios at the city’s three fire stations, as well as apparatus radios, the report says.

Officials say the grant does not require local matching.

The Duluth (MN) Firefighter Foundation recently received a $10,000 donation from Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union to purchase a new Paratech MultiForce Air Lifting Bag.

The equipment can be used in myriad rescues, such as vehicle crashes, building collapses, and trench rescue operations.

“The Duluth Fire Department would like to thank Affinity Plus for their continued commitment to public safety in Duluth, and for providing equipment that without their support the Department would not have to save lives,” the department wrote on Facebook.

By Alan M. Petrillo

Motorola Solutions has brought out its newest radio for firefighters, the APX NEXT™ XN, part of its APX NEXT portfolio of next generation Project 25 (P25) radios that incorporate data applications for enhanced situational awareness.

Jon Touvannas, director of product management for Motorola Solutions, says the company conducts extensive research with firefighters, learning about the extreme heat, little visibility, and deafening noise they face in emergency situations, and designs radios to meet their unique needs. Touvannas notes that like Motorola’s APX NEXT XE radio, the APX NEXT XN “combines mission-critical communications with broadband applications that provide essential information to help firefighters respond to an emergency.”

The radio includes interactive maps with firefighter locations to coordinate response, multimedia messaging to share pictures and videos, GPS location information that updates every few seconds to enhance firefighter safety, and features ViQi™ Voice Control, which enables users to control their radio through simple and intuitive voice command.

Scott Alazraki, senior manager of product planning for Motorola Solutions, points out that the APX NEXT XN passes several specific tests for heat and water immersion. “The radio was heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (F) for 15 minutes, and then immersed in five feet of water at room temperature for 15 minutes,” Alazraki says. “The test was then repeated six times, and then the radio was examined for quality levels of speech and levels of radio operation, which it surpassed.”