PAFD Captain, Joel Perreault (right) standing in front of Engine 11, the fire department's latest addition. (Ronald Quaroni/paNOW Staff)

By Ronald Quaroni

First Impressions

Firefighter’s impressed with the PAFD’s new fire truck

Feb 14, 2020 | 1:28 PM

Prince Albert Firefighters have wasted no time in getting acquainted with their brand-new machine.

Engine 11, Prince Albert’s newest fire truck, has spent the last couple of weeks in Prince Albert Fire Department’s (PAFD) Hall getting equipped, while firefighters orientate themselves with new technologies and features.

Firefighter Dave MaCauley said the training done so far has been introductory, but he looked forward to getting more experience on the new fire truck.

“Everyone had the opportunity to set up the truck, operate the ladder (and) play with it a little bit,” MaCauley noted. “It’s going to give us so much more versatility on fire scenes. Whether we need to use the ladder for rescues, elevated water stream or even lighting, it will give us something that we’ve never had with an engine before.”

PAFD’s Engine 11 getting a thumbs up from Prince Albert Mayor, Greg Dionne. (paNOW Staff)

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PAFD Captain Joel Perrault explained, firefighters he’s spoken to are impressed.

“They said it drives very smooth. It’s smoother than any other apparatus that we have right now due to the suspension,” Perreault told paNOW. “New equipment always comes with new technology. There’s some technology on this truck for the pump and stability controls. Safety wise it has (ladder) stability control. It has all the new features, seatbelt warnings that make it a safety-first vehicle.”

The new fire truck has 65 ft. aerial ladder, something its predecessor lacked.

Perreault said with limited fire hall space, the customized ‘Quint Apparatus,’ is set up well to fit the department’s needs going into the future.

“We think this is a solid truck that is going to last us 20 years plus,” he said.

Perrault explained the storage capacity and accessibility is an awesome feature of the new engine. Access to hose in the truck’s rear means crews can load it from ground level, making it much safer as well.

Engine 11 also has bonuses beyond performance. The cab is equipped with climate control settings to keep crews comfortable as well as leather seats.

“We’ve found that after a fire scene, firefighters are going into cabs contaminated with soot and grime. We’ve gone with leather seats because they are much easier to clean,” he noted.

While the official unveiling took place Friday morning, the new fire truck had its debut on the streets Wednesday. It’s first response was a smoke alarm call on the 1500 Block of Helme Crescent.

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ron.quaroni@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @RonaldQuaroni