The City of Kent Fire Department recently purchased a custom-made rescue truck for their station.

The new addition, a Pierce Heavy Rescue Vehicle, is designed to replace the station’s 27-year-old vehicle while giving the firefighters something familiar to work with.

The vehicle costs approximately $700,000 and is expected to arrive at the station in early March.

The process for acquiring the new vehicle began in 2017. A committee within the fire department decided on the new purchase after receiving feedback from various firefighters and teams on how to improve it.

“It’s a culmination of two years of research, so we’re excited,” said Captain William Myers of the City of Kent Fire Department.

aller generator in order to accomodate for space in the truck. 

“We’re making a lot of improvements and bringing in the most up-to-date equipment that we can utilize,” Myers said. “The new one is completely fabricated to our specifications, so there’s not another truck like this in the world.” 

The current rescue vehicle used by the department has several outer compartments for emergency equipment. Cutting tools, emergency airbags, generators and breathing tanks are just a few of the many tools and devices kept in the vehicle’s outer doors.

The new truck will also have similar features, but there are significant changes. Most notably, the new rescue vehicle will be more spacious, containing more compartments and increasing the two seats in the front to a six-person cab.

The incoming vehicle will not have an onboard refilling station for the air tanks that firefighters use during rescue missions. Instead, the truck will have more space for filled tanks and return to the station for refills after each mission.

“We’re grateful to the city for providing such great equipment for its community,” Myers said. “We’re looking forward to the new truck lasting another 27 years.”

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