City of T.O. gets three new fire trucks
By Nancy Needham nancy@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers EASILY IDENTIFIED- - A brand spanking new fire engine leaves Fire Station No. 32 on Reino Road in Newbury Park. The truck is one of three new Ventura County fire trucks with bigger numbers to help firefighters see it from 500 feet.

Look for bigger numbers and brighter lights on three new fire trucks in Thousand Oaks.

According to Division Chief Mike La Plant, the large numbers allow fire captains at a fire to see the trucks from about 500 feet away, so their assignments can be radioed to them earlier.

The sirens haven't changed, but the new LED lights burn brighter so they, too, can be detected from greater distance.

"The new engine has more room for equipment and gear," said Capt. Rick Bell. The extra storage means when firefighters rush to an emergency, nobody has to sit on the gear to make everything fit. The old trucks provided less accessibility.

The new trucks may also arrive faster. The older engines took a little while to get going, but the new ones respond like race cars and are quick right from the line, Bell said.

They're also fast at pumping water. The new pumps shoot out about 1,500 gallons of water per minute.

The engines- at fire stations 31, 32 and 36 on Duesenberg Drive, Reino Road and in Oak Park- are all 2007 American LaFrance type-one pumpers that carry 500 gallons of water and 30 gallons of class A foam concentrate and cost about $320,000 each. The wheelbase is 179 inches, and the truck height is 113 inches.

What can't be seen from the outside is that the Detroit Diesel Series 60 motor is more emissioncontrol efficient and runs about as clean as a fire truck can get, La Plant said.

The engines replaced had been in service for at least 10 years, one since 1991 with 190,000 miles on it. They're all now in reserve status, meaning the engines will be available for about another 10 years in case they are needed again, La Plant said.

Bell recalled that a truck at his station near The Oaks mall had about 225,000 miles on it before it was replaced two years ago.

"These trucks travel wherever they're needed. They go all over the county and even leave the county to fight wildfires if necessary," Bell said.

Each engine has hose, water, foam, basic life support and firefighting tools such as shovels.

The engine team works with other teams on trucks that have different specialized equipment, such as ladder trucks or paramedics.

The new trucks are expected to get a lot of use and rack up the miles in the years to come, La Plant said.