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Redmond unveils electric fire truck city staff call the state's first
Summary
City officials described a new electric fire engine delivered to the Redmond Fire Department as the state's first. Fire officials said the vehicle can pump up to 2,000 gallons per minute, recharge for service in under 90 minutes and operate much like diesel rigs while offering ergonomic improvements for crews.
Redmond city staff said the city has taken delivery of what they called the state's first electric fire truck, and Capt. Jeff Siemers of the Redmond Fire Department described how the vehicle is designed to match existing apparatus while adding operational and ergonomic improvements.
City communications staff said the truck can disperse up to 2,000 gallons of water per minute and can be reenergized for service in less than 90 minutes. "Everyone at the city has been geeking out ever since we got our new electric fire truck, the first of its kind in the state," the staff member said.
"Communication is 1 of the most difficult things on a fire scene. It's chaotic. It's loud. And anything we can do to help reduce that external distraction is a step in the right direction," Capt. Jeff Siemers said. Siemers added that the electric truck "is designed to operate very similar to our diesel fire trucks."
Siemers described ergonomic changes intended to make routine tasks easier for crews: "We've lowered the hose bed down so all of our members can more effectively grab the hose off off of the fire truck. We put tools and equipment in special locations that are more accessible. All of our crews are specially trained to work on all fire trucks. And what's neat about this 1 is that the training is almost identical to all the training that we've done leading up to this."
On drivetrain and operation, Siemers said the department has been learning new technical terms such as "electro mechanical infinitely variable transmission." He said the electric truck is intended to be familiar to drivers: "So any 1 of our drivers right now, they can start this thing up, they can put it in pump, and it's gonna operate just like our other trucks. It looks very similar to our other fire trucks. There's a there's a couple key indicators. So in the middle of the fire truck, there's a lightning bolt, and also on the back of the truck, we wrote electric engine. Otherwise, it looks just like the others."
The discussion focused on operational features and training rather than procurement details or costs. No formal vote or policy action was recorded in the meeting on the truck's purchase or deployment schedule.
City staff closed the segment with community announcements unrelated to the truck, including a Solarize Eastside program and an Arbor Day week of activities beginning April 21.
