Ford Super Duty Fire Truck Ushers in New Era
For a department that responded to nearly 14,000 calls in 2017 alone, that’s a big deal. And something had to give, as Heartland Fire Chief Colin Stowell explained to The San Diego Tribune. “That number is quickly becoming unsustainable under traditional service delivery models, requiring alternative deployment methods such as the Squad 6 concept,” Stowell said. “The added call volume stretches emergency response resources and leads to slower response times or temporary lack of coverage in our communities.”
The solution to that ever-growing problem is simple. The Squad 6 Super Duty comes equipped with all the gear the department needs to battle both structural and brush fires, as well as medical emergencies. So far, it’s proven quite capable of handling a large percentage of emergency calls. That frees up the department’s regular fire trucks for critical emergencies.
So in addition to saving our fire departments money, this special Super Duty is also equipped to help save lives and minimize damage. “The primary factor [is the] most effective, fastest way to respond to the increasing number of 911 calls to fire,” said City Manager Doug Williford. And just when you thought you knew everything the Super Duty could do, along comes another use — as a fire truck!