WESTLOCK - Although it’s been in Westlock since March 9, the town’s new $1.3 million 2020 Rosenbauer Cobra Aerial Platform truck, which has been given the call sign ‘T1’, is slated to officially enter service this week.
Following weeks of training and certification tests to get local firefighters up to speed on the new equipment, which included a March 28 session in the parking lot of the Rotary Spirit Centre, the department is aiming to hold an official push-in ceremony Thursday, April 1. Town council agreed to the purchase back in 2019, while a recent press release from the municipality notes, “an investment of this scale was determined to be crucial to support the protection of the community.”
Fire chief Stuart Koflick said the new truck, which is called a ‘quint’ as it can perform five duties, is an important resource for the department and the community and represents a commitment to emergency response and safety. The need for the equipment, which has a 25-year-plus service life, came into sharp focus during the Commerce Building fire at the end of January as Westlock actually borrowed Barrhead’s aerial truck to help combat the blaze — Barrhead’s ladder truck and firefighters also took in Sunday’s training session.
“The misconception when you speak about a ladder truck specifically is that yes, it has a ladder and that is one of its capabilities. But this truck is called a ‘quint’ because it has five capabilities. It has the ladder, it has a pump on it and a tank on it. It has all the ground ladders and it has an elevated mast,” said Koflick, noting a number of automated features on the truck which will make firefighting easier, especially for a volunteer department that can have a wide range of members with different experience levels.
“And the reason why it’s important to us is that in our long-term plan we want to have our apparatus do more for us. The big picture is that it adds to the effectiveness and efficiency of the department.”
Features of ‘T1’ include a 500-gallon water tank, a fire pump with flow rates up to 1,250 gallons per minute and a ladder reach of 75 feet to 104 feet vertical. The vertical reach and ability to extend the ladder horizontally over an area helps firefighters get to hard-to-reach areas, said Koflick, noting it’s ideal for rescues where there is limited space to maneuver. Delivery of the truck was held up due to COVID-19 shutting down the border between Canada and the U.S.
“Our volunteer firefighters promote fire safety, public education, and train to prepare for the days we are called to act. We rely on our equipment to do an effective job and to do it safely,” Koflick noted. “This ladder truck is an integral part of our response and will serve us well today, tomorrow and for the next 25-plus years."
