The city of Vancouver has taken delivery of the country’s first all electric pumper as part of efforts to electrify its entire fleet. The $1- million Austrian-made Rosenbauer RTX will, appropriately enough, be deployed out of the city’s Fire Hall No. 1 in the city’s notorious Lower East Side where it will presumably be put to good use putting out dumpster fires and the like..Although it only has a range of about 100 kilometres, it can be extended using a diesel-powered generator that also keeps it pumping through a three-alarm blaze..“This state-of-the-art electric fire engine represents an important milestone in our efforts to reduce carbon emissions from our fleet,” said Ken Sim, Mayor of Vancouver. “We are extremely proud to be the first in Canada to deploy an electric fire engine and lead the way with this exciting addition to Vancouver’s firefighting fleet.” According to the city’s Fire Rescue Services department, the Rosenbauer offers several advantages over traditional fire engines including a narrower and shorter design that offers increased agility in the Lower East Side’s maze of alleys.Its open cab design allows it to serve as a command centre — or rehab area. And its adjustable suspension facilitates easier entry and exit into tight spaces while reducing exposure to “carcinogens and pollutants from diesel exhaust.”Although it only has a range of about 100 kilometres, it can be extended using a diesel-powered generator that also keeps it pumping through a three-alarm blaze..Karen Fry, Fire Chief and General Manager of Vancouver Fire Rescue Services said, “This is a highly sophisticated piece of equipment that will enhance our capability to protect people and property and substantially improve the health and safety of firefighters.”It comes as the city is facing a wave of fires — and deaths — from rechargeable batteries in e-bikes and other devices. Of 10 fire deaths in 2022, half were caused by exploding batteries. In June the city’s fire services department complained it was responding to at least one rechargeable battery fire per week, mirroring trends in several other cities around North America and Europe..In August of last year a women’s shelter in the Lower East Side was forced to turn clients away after four of its units were damaged in fires related to people charging lithium-ion batteries in electric bikes..Vancouver’s problems were particularly acute in subsidized housing projects where people were reportedly plugging e-bikes into the wall and splicing the wiring with alligator clips, causing the batteries to overheat and explode.In August of last year a women’s shelter in the Lower East Side was forced to turn clients away after four of its units were damaged in fires related to people charging lithium-ion batteries in electric bikes.And also last summer a man died after falling to his death from the notorious Victorian-era Empress hotel on East Hastings when an e-bike exploded in his room. The building, which also doubles as a shelter, was also the scene of a machete attack that hospitalized four people and prompted public safety concerns in the city’s downtown core.
