WPFD is very happy to announce the next additions to our response fleet. After much hard work and focused investment in our capabilities, our department has recently received two new rescue vehicles that will serve our department and community well.
Identical in design and construction, the two 2010 Ford F-550 trucks were custom built for our department by Central States Fire Apparatus in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. These vehicles are now in service since completing installs of department communication and response equipment for medical, rescue, and automobile fire/extrication.
Additionally, these trucks are equipped with high-pressure foam fire suppression equipment to address automotive and other fires. We can use this great new tool for faster fire ‘knock-down’ on wood and chemical/plastic/fuel fires using less water and reducing rekindle (restarts of fueled fire).
Of all of our vehicles in our fleet, the ‘rescue vehicles’ based at each of our 4 stations are often the most used fire apparatus based on the majority of calls we receive and the inherent versatility of the equipment it brings to an incident. Like a large rolling tool box, you bring as many tools a rescue response might need because you never know what you need until you need it. Rescues (sometimes called a Rescue Squad) respond to any medical / trauma incident, vehicle collision, hazardous material spill, most major fires, missing person, search/rescue, and many more. These vehicles really bring bring a wide assortment of tools to any emergency call. Even in response to a fire incident, the rescue tools on board provide Emergency Medical Services (EMS) support for our firefighters while they perform occupant rescue and stand-by should we have one of our own injured on the job.
Some of the tools carried on most of our departments rescue vehicles include:
High Pressure Water/Foam Fire Suppression – Emergency Medical Supplies- Automatic External Defibrillator, Oxygen, Wound/Trauma Care, First Aid diagnostics, Backboards (patient stabilization)- Extrication Tools (Jaws of Life Cutter/Spreaders)- Power Generator- Scene Lighting-Traffic Control- Chainsaw and Cutting Tools- Ropes, Chains, and Cribbing- Fire Extinguishers – And many many more tools of the trade.
One of these new vehicles (New Rescue #3) will be based at Station #3 at the intersections of Hwy 10 & Ferndale Cutoff. The other new vehicle (New Rescue#4) will based at our Little Italy station on Hwy 300 (north side of Lake Maumelle). While based at these ‘home’ stations, these vehicle will still respond to any incident in the entire fire district area when needed to provide additional support for neighboring station areas or mutual aid to nearby neighbor fire departments.
Follow the link below to see our crews ‘breaking in’ our new foam fire suppression equipment at a recent training:
http://www.wpfirerescue.org/photo-galleries/training-photos/foam-fire-suppression-training/