The Martensville Fire Department (MFD) is expected to take delivery of a new multi-purpose emergency response vehicle in early July.
According to Martensville Fire Chief Kurtis Dyck, the new vehicle will quickly become the “most used” apparatus in the MFD fleet.
“It’s primarily designed for medical calls,” said Dyck in an interview June 25. “We’ll be using it for First Responder medical calls, as well as for fire, high-angle rescue, confined space and vehicle extrication situations.
“It’s also designed to be used as a command post and has some limited resources for rehab when needed.”
The $350,000 custom-designed vehicle will replace two aging converted ambulances that are currently used by the MFD for medical response calls.
“Both our current vehicles are over 20 years old, and pretty much at the end of their useful lives as far as reliable emergency units,” said Dyck. “They’ve performed well, but it’s definitely time to update our equipment.”
The new multi-purpose emergency response vehicle was built to MFD specifications by Acres Emergency Vehicles of Wawanesa, Manitoba, which is now working in partnership with Sea Hawk Specialized Truck Service of Carman, Manitoba.
Dyck said the MFD began planning the design and purchase of the new vehicle over a year ago.
A committee made up of MFD officers designed the truck, with input provided by all members of the department.
“It’s been on the wish list for a while now,” said Dyck. “The fire department did some fundraising, and the additional funds are coming from the City of Martensville, with contributions from the RM of Corman Park as well.
“Replacing older vehicles is part of a long-term capital equipment plan for the fire department and the city. It’s important to ensure we have the equipment we need to do our job, because the city is continuing to grow and the number of emergency calls increases every year.”
He said once the MFD takes delivery of the new vehicle, the fleet shouldn’t need to have any more upgrades for at least another ten years.
“We currently have two pumper trucks, a tanker, two wildland fire trucks, a utility truck and two medical response units,” said Dyck. “This new vehicle will replace the older medical vehicles..”
He said the new vehicle will come equipped with electrical extrication tools.
“They’re lighter, quicker to access and able to cut through the type of materials manufacturers use now in new vehicles,” said Dyck. “We’ll still have our hydraulic extrication tools for backup.”
Dyck noted the new vehicle will strengthen the resources of the region as a whole.
“With the mutual aid agreement we have with other municipalities in the area, it helps everyone,” said Dyck. “The coverage area for the five departments is very large, and we need to have the right equipment to respond when we’re called upon.”