The Aurora Fire Department unveiled its newest fire truck on Thursday, which officials said is the first to be added to the fleet in over 25 years.
While the Aurora Fire Department has replaced vehicles in that timeframe, Truck 14 represents the first addition of a “water apparatus” to the city’s fleet since 1998, Fire Chief David McCabe announced at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday. He said the new Truck 14 will serve an area of the city that has never had a dedicated fire truck before.
Currently, the department’s downtown-stationed Truck 2 serves an area that goes all the way up Farnsworth Avenue to the Batavia city limits, McCabe said after the ceremony.
“We need to grow with the city, especially in that area,” he told The Beacon-News. “There’s a lot of large growth up there — the casino, the outlet mall, other plans they have coming — we need to make sure those areas and those people are protected.”
“Currently Truck 2, which is stationed here in downtown, their territory goes all the way up Farnsworth (Avenue) to the Batavia city limits,” McCabe said after the ceremony. “We’ve needed to grow out in that area.”
The truck will eventually be housed at Station 13 when it opens next year, but until then will be located at Station 9, he said during the ceremony. Station 13 will be located at the intersection of Bilter Road and Nan Street, which is north of Interstate 88.
According to McCabe’s speech at the ceremony, the Aurora Fire Department has seen a steady increase in calls since the last time a truck was added to the fleet. In fact, calls have almost doubled since 1998, he said.
Assistant Fire Chief Matt Anslow said during the ceremony that the new fire truck will have enhanced scene lighting, making things safer at incidents for firefighters and making the truck more visible. This will be particularly important when the truck responds to calls along I-88, he said.
Advancements in ergonomics were also implemented into the truck’s design, helping to reduce injuries for firefighters carrying equipment weighing upwards of 80 pounds, Anslow said.
The truck was designed with help from Fire Service, Inc. and was built by E-ONE, he said.
The difference between a fire truck and a fire engine is that a fire truck focuses on rescues at fires and vehicle accidents, according to Anslow. He said fire engines, on the other hand, focus on suppressing fires and providing advanced life-saving intervention during EMS calls.
Fire trucks are like tool boxes for the fire department, he said.
rsmith@chicagotribune.com
