Marina Fire Department gets new, modern truck

The Marina Fire Department received a new engine with features meant to make everyday work more efficient and safe.

The truck is called a Rosenbauer Avenger. Marina Fire said this is the first truck of its kind in California. The nearest one like it is in New Mexico. However, there are several trucks made by the same company—Rosenbauer—in the area.

The purchase of this new truck was part of an effort to grow the fire department, according to Chief Doug McCoun. He said there are currently 11 firefighters on staff, and he aims to hire more in the next month. In order to operate a station that’s staffed full-time, he needed another engine.

McCoun said several features on the Rosenbauer Avenger stand out.

“The overall width is narrow,” McCoun said. “Narrower than, say, our traditional engines so that we can get in tight spaces like our apparatus bays and driveways.”

McCoun also said the truck was built keeping maintenance costs in mind.

“Cost of fire engines, you know, it’s ongoing maintenance. So we could go down to the local truck parts store and buy parts for this engine," McCoun said. "Whereas some of our other, traditional fire engines, the parts come from Europe.”

Additionally, the truck is made of aluminum, according to McCoun. He said that's important because of the station's proximity to the ocean, which can cause traditional trucks to rust.

With racks and drawers built into the outside of the truck, the department expects everyday operations to run more efficiently. The racks eliminate the need for firefighters to bring things like their oxygen tanks inside. This works as a safety benefit as well, according to McCoun, because a number of injuries occur when firefighters bring those tanks into the cab of the vehicle.