Salinas’ new fire equipment arriving soon from Wisconsin

New equipment is on its way to the Salinas Fire Department soon and it couldn’t be coming at a better time. With increased calls for service and a city that’s growing, firefighters said two new fire vehicles will make the residents safer.

“More modern design and newer apparatus. We’ve got a lot of miles on some of these engines,” said
Battalion Chief Herb Shoemaker.

Shoemaker said both the old ladder tiller and quint will eventually be sold once the city’s new tiller and an engine make their way from Wisconsin. Several firefighters are giving the equipment a final inspection this week.

“And we’re going over every compartment, looking underneath and on top, everywhere, to make sure its exactly what we want,” Shoemaker said.

Shoemaker said the old ladder tiller is used for training, preparing firefighters for the brand new one. The driver in the front uses a headset to communicate with the driver in the back, allowing firefighters to get down roads they couldn’t with any other type of truck.

“The quality of this apparatus right here is that we can maneuver through narrower streets and make tighter turns,” Shoemaker said.

With increasing demands for service, Shoemaker said the department hasn’t always been able to cover its bases.

“There have been instances where we’ve had multiple fires in the city and we’ve had to rely on aid from our surrounding fire departments,” he said.

But Shoemaker said this new equipment which costs about $750,000, will be paid for by those who develop new construction in the city and will change service in big way.

“It’s going to ensure a quicker response with an adequate amount of apparatus and personnel to take care of multiple incidents in the city,” Shoemaker said.

Those firefighters in Wisconsin are scheduled to return later this week. Both the truck and the engine are set to arrive at the beginning of February.