A $1.37-million fire truck is finally rolling out in Regina after being purchased more than a year ago. Regina Fire & Protective Services bought the Raptor in October 2014, but it only began heading to calls in December. It was used at a house fire on Rae Street at the end of January, for instance.
“It’s a super complicated piece of equipment and is relatively cutting edge,” said fire Chief Ernie Polsom. “As with anything high-tech there’s some interesting challenges moving it from acquisition to in-service. So, it’s taken us a little longer than we would have liked.”
Polsom said the integration of computers and other electronics in the truck took time. Plus, there was a “huge amount” of training involved to get a sufficient number of people qualified to operate the truck, he added, explaining the Raptor is a “quite a departure” from other vehicles.
During that year-and-a-bit lag, the truck was being used for training.
Now that it’s fully operational, the Raptor provides an opportunity for the fire department to get into tighter spots than it could previously, something that comes in handy with new developments’ narrower roads. It’s a single axle, so it’s a much shorter, manoeuverable piece of equipment than others at the fire department’s disposal.
The truck’s aerial device has a 100-foot reach, and the vehicle doesn’t need to be level for the device to be in use.