CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – In 2021 something curious began in Canada. Fire departments began receiving the first deliveries of electric fire trucks. This year they’re being sold in the United States.
For those who haven’t thought things through, a fire truck seems like a reasonable choice for an electrified vehicle. They don’t travel cross-country. They can be fully charged at the fire station, and are generally dispatched to nearby, local emergency calls. No need to recharge.
But an electric fire truck costs $250,000 more than a conventional truck. Considering that tailpipe emissions from emergency vehicles are tiny – they’re not like interstate trucks that belch from New Mexico to New York – maybe we could tolerate diesel emissions for just a few miles. But, when the taxpayers are footing the bill, these things aren’t even considered.
The electric fire truck is small. It carries less water, and is intended to be dispatched to smaller fires. If a smaller fire becomes bigger, it’s the wrong piece of equipment. We’re told that larger models are in production.
While the green fire trucks are smaller, they are much heavier. The weight, and the wear and tear on local roads, is because of the massive batteries that are required.
And the electric fire truck still has fossil fuel components: like the water pump. Getting water to the hoses requires a more powerful pump that runs on diesel.
And if it needs to stay at the scene of the fire for an extended period of time, it either needs a relief vehicle, or a gas-powered one, to arrive. After returning from a call, an electric fire truck is out-of-service for five hours while it is recharged.
So the electric fire truck is smaller, does less, at a much higher price. If you think this is green-insanity, you’re right.
Chris Conley
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