Today, on Friday May 31st, the City of Victoria received its very first fully electric fire truck at their department headquarters.
The firetruck model is a Rosenbauer RTX and has numerous features that will aid Victoria firefighters in their daily duties.
The vehicle is a state-of-the-art unit which was fully customizable to the Victoria Fire Department’s needs.
The City says it is expected to respond to 95% of all its calls in full-electric mode which produces zero greenhouse gas emissions and almost no noise, aside from its siren.
This first electric fire truck is just the first step in the City’s goal of electrifying 80% of its fleet by the year 2040.
“Adding this electric emergency response vehicle to the fleet marks a historic moment and start of a new era for Western Canada’s oldest fire department,” said Victoria Fire Chief Dan Atkinson.
“Our fire department is proud to be a leader amongst Canadian municipalities with one of the country’s first electric fire trucks.”
The vehicle still has the ability to run on diesel, but this fallback is merely a safeguard for the truck when its battery runs below 20% during an extended firefighting response.
The City says the new truck will help reduce emissions by about 20 tonnes per year and will help the city achieve cleaner, quieter and healthier communities within the municipality.
Although the truck is in the hands of the Victoria Fire Department now, the firefighters still need a chance to train with the vehicle, get used to the layout and familiarize themselves with all the truck’s bells and whistles.
Last year when Victoria announced they were purchasing the vehicle, they said that in total, the truck cost around $1.7 million. The City covered two-thirds of this cost while the Province footed the bill for the remaining third.
