STOCKTON, Calif. — Smiles were beaming on the faces of Stockton firefighters Thursday as the city unveiled six brand-new engines ready to hit the streets.
"This is an amazing investment in public safety for the city of Stockton," said Stockton Fire Chief Richard Edwards. "Having these six new fire engines means that we're going to have less downtime of our fleet so that our firefighters can focus more on training and emergency response than having to change over into reserve apparatus when our aging fleet breaks down."
The engines, which were on display during a public event at Weber Point Thursday afternoon, were funded by a $4.5 million grant from the federal government's American Rescue Plan Act.
They will replace current engines, some of which are more than 22 years old with over 500,000 miles driven.
"This is also a big investment in the safety of our firefighters because as apparatus ages and requires more maintenance, it's more prone to breaking down," said Edwards. "The last thing I want as a fire chief is to have my firefighters in a hostile environment and have a mechanical failure or a pump failure, where they don't have water at the end of that hose line."
In total, the department will be receiving seven fire engines, five brush units, two battalion command cars and two aerial ladder trucks. After all the new resources are brought in, 80% of the department's fleet will be newer than five years old.
"Typically a fire apparatus or ladder truck is going to be around for at least 15 years, I believe. In the case of Stockton, probably longer," said Stockton City Manager Harry Black. "So to have 80% of the fleet less than five years of age is a big deal."
For some firefighters, seeing the new fleet Thursday was like watching a vision turn into reality. Members of the Stockton Fire Department were brought in to suggest new features to be included on the engines when the purchasing began in 2021.
"They know what the needs are," said Edwards. "There's special equipment, there's additional hose lines on here, additional discharges for the pump, to better serve our teams in the field given the complexity of the city with everything from single-family residential homes, to the port of Stockton, to mid-rise and high rise structures in our downtown."
According to Edwards, for now, the old fire engines will go to Stockton Fire's training division.
City officials say they are hoping to buy dozens of new patrol cars for the Stockton Police Department within the next year.
"We're very fortunate to have a city council and the city manager that see the value and public safety and the investment into our ability to provide those services," said Edwards. "At the end of the day, it's the city of Stockton that's going to benefit from all these new fire engines."
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