JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department has added four new engines to its fleet, and four more are coming next month.
The fire engines will go to stations with the oldest trucks in the area.
It's been about 10 years since JFRD has designed new trucks. The first four trucks made their debuts this week, and the next four will begin service in January.
Chief Kurtis Wilson said the new engines are built smarter than the older models.
"It was designed 100 percent by the men and women in the Fire Department by a special apparatus committee," Wilson said.
The good news for the department is not just that the engines are built better, but that they're new, in general, because JFRD's oldest trucks were falling apart. And those were built by a company that went under, so the Fire Department couldn't get new parts to fix them.
"That again reemphasizes the need for us to get out of those older trucks, and that's what we've done and got us into something we can get parts for and things that are more reliable," Wilson said.
The first eight trucks are going to stations 4,16, 22, 24, 28, 31, 58 and 62.
Next year's budget allows JFRD to get 24 new engines. Those will roll out in the fall of 2015. The department is also welcoming in 10 new rescue units in the next week.
Although that's a lot of progress to the fleet, even after the replacements are made, nine front-line pumpers and all 20 spare engines will still be older than 10 years, which is the life expectancy for the apparatus.
The department will most likely have to propose getting more new trucks for the following budget.