Some may also find its blue paintjob familiar in that it's the second in a line of similarly-colored engines in Weslaco. The first blue engine, a $525,000 Ferrara Cinder pumper, is a 2016 model that pumps 1,700 gallons per minute.
Though smaller in weight, Rescue 1 packs much more in terms of resources. It can pump 2,000 gallons per minute and carry 750 gallons of water in addition to a 10-gallon foam reservoir.
Paid for through the City of Weslaco’s Apparatus Replacement Program, 25 percent of which is funded through the department’s EMS revenues, the 2017 Ferrara MVP (multi-vocational pumper) is also designed for full-disciplined response. This, according to Fire Chief Antonio Lopez, means that it comes equipped with every aspect of municipal emergency operations, including trench, high-angle and confined space rescues as well as dive, HAZMAT and medical treatment capabilities.