While the majority of fire departments across the country still identify with their city’s name followed by ‘Fire Department’, it may surprise that the vast majority of calls to fire departments have nothing to do with fire. A typical call—nationally, nearly 70 percent—usually involves a medical emergency or rescue. The trend for the Pueblo Fire Department mirrors the nation.
But now, thanks to a new piece of equipment—the only one of its kind in the state—both fires and rescues in Pueblo will be a lot easier and with outcomes a lot more predictable.
“I find it essential,” said Pueblo Fire Chief Barb Huber of the new ladder truck unveiled in the city just days ago. PFD’s newest arrow in its public safety quiver can stretch 125 feet vertically and horizontally for both structure and water rescues.
The new apparatus, Huber said, was ordered “fifteen months” ago. But the city took ownership just recently. That’s just the way of ‘big ticket’ items for agencies like fire departments. But its presence, the veteran firefighter said, will make her department’s mission easier and more effective.
“We could have used it (the ladder truck) over a hundred times,” over the last year Huber guesses, for both water and structure rescues. “We have a lot of calls during high water periods,” she said. Spring runoff, especially after a heavy snowpack, swells the Arkansas and Fountain rivers, the two rivers that bisect Pueblo.
While Pueblo’s skyline is modest—no building goes much beyond ten stories—the new ladder truck will still fill a void, especially as the city grows, Huber said. “I feel that over the last few years we have come a long way,” and new and taller buildings may certainly be part of the future. But like all fire rescue departments, keeping up and getting all the latest equipment—fire trucks or emergency vehicles—can be a luxury and a costly one at that.
A new apparatus like the city’s new ladder truck is a perfect example. A new pumper can easily cost in the seven-figure range. Adding the latest bells and whistles can add to the costs. This piece, Huber said, came in just “under a million dollars.”
All departments, she said, need to spend their money wisely and look for ways to best maintain what equipment they have. In the fire fighting world, it’s not always a matter of having old equipment. It’s making sure the equipment you have can still do the job.
Pueblo’s newest apparatus is still a few weeks away from being operational. Firefighters still must be trained on it; city fleet crews must learn how to maintain it; fire crews must learn as much as they can about it and determine exactly how to configure the vehicle so that space—always a consideration—for storing equipment is optimized. Finally, communications equipment, everything from radios to Bluetooth, must still be installed. Finally, Pumper 52 will also get painted with the city’s ‘Home of Heroes’ imprimatur before it goes into service.
The new truck will be temporarily housed at PFD’s Station 4 but will get a new home once Station 11 on the city’s west side is complete. The acquisition of the state’s tallest ladder truck is also Pueblo Fire’s first major fire truck purchase since 2008.
One last thing, Huber added, a bit of humor in her tone. Don’t expect Pumper 52 to show up to rescue a kitten in a tree. Instead, she suggested, put the dog inside and let the kitten come down by itself.
