Watsonville Fire Department adds fire engine with digital technology

The city of Watsonville gave its fire department the okay to get familiar with a new fire truck at its facility.

After training with what they call a state of the art “KME Type One Fire Engine” for some time, firefighters are getting close to being able to take their shiny new toy out on the road.

“We’re moving from a more tradition based firefighting method to a more scientific based,” says Nathan Tapiz–a firefighter and paramedic with the city.

But how does a new fire truck exactly help Watsonville Fire do what Tapiz suggested?

Well the new engine has an electronic device in it which allows firefighters to put in an equation, digitally, to manage just how much water pressure they’re using to put out fires.

“For example if you’re pumping a fire, flowing water out of hose lines,” explains fire department engineer, Kevin Ditano, “there’s math calculations you have to take into account friction-loss of the actual water passing through the hose lines. It loses pressure as that happens. “.

A miscalculation can make a big difference when trying to fully contain a structure, vehicle or wildland fire.

“The mathematical equation is a big part because you wanna make sure you’re providing the adequate pressure to achieve the correct gallons per minute out of the nozzle to the crew or whoever is inside fighting the fire,” says Ditano.

And with a job that’s always changing each time a call goes out, firefighters need all the help they can get.

“Each time the tones go off we don’t know what we’re up against. We’re adapting with our medicine and staying on the cutting edge of the way we treat our patients as well as the way we fight fires,” says Tapiz.

The truck will also have a camera monitor inside so when the fire engine is backing out the driver can have a good view of their surroundings.