Kincardine's new fire rescue vehicle to be operational in about five weeks

The Kincardine Fire Department's new rescue vehicle was on display in the parking lot of the Municipal Administrative Centre, Wednesday night, just prior to the Kincardine council meeting.

The shiny new red truck, which arrived last Friday from Surrey, British Columbia, will be operational in about five weeks, said fire chief Kent Padfield, adding that council had budgeted about $300,000 for the vehicle, and it came in under budget.

The truck replaces the 30-year-old Purolator-van-style rescue vehicle and comes with many state-of-the-art features.

"It can transport six firefighters to the scene," said Padfield. "This area behind the cab can be used as a command centre. And we have space at the back for firefighter rehabilitation, to get the guys out of the freezing cold or the extreme heat."

The truck has an updated lighting system to properly light up an incident scene, said Padfield, and it has plenty of space to transport equipment.

"This vehicle is completely self-sufficient," he said. "It has an onboard generator that can run everything without the engine running, which is why we are able to sit back here and talk."