New Bedford’s fire department has recently acquired a new state-of-the-art fire truck, which will replace a 16-year-old predecessor. The new truck, manufactured by E-ONE, cost $750,000 and is fully equipped with the latest firefighting technology. The city was able to secure a favorable price on the truck by ordering it two years in advance, as well as a deal on a new ladder truck that is scheduled to arrive next month. The new fire truck is designed to handle the thousands of emergency calls that the future will bring and is a significant upgrade for the New Bedford Fire Department.New Bedford’s fire department has recently acquired a new state-of-the-art fire truck, which will replace a 16-year-old predecessor. The new truck, manufactured by E-ONE, cost $750,000 and is fully equipped with the latest firefighting technology. The city was able to secure a favorable price on the truck by ordering it two years in advance, as well as a deal on a new ladder truck that is scheduled to arrive next month. The new fire truck is designed to handle the thousands of emergency calls that the future will bring and is a significant upgrade for the New Bedford Fire Department.
NEW BEDFORD — A new, state-of-the-art fire truck rolled out this week, ready to handle the thousands of emergency calls the future will bring.
Fire Chief Scott Kruger said the new fire truck, manufactured by industry leader E-ONE, will replace a 2008 fire truck.
“That served us well for 16 years,” he said.
The new truck is located at Station 8, 1599 Acushnet Ave.
And the price was right.
The same truck would cost $1 million today if ordered
Kruger said the fully equipped truck, which the New Bedford Fire Department helped design, cost $750,000. That compares with the $435,000 the city paid for its 2008 predecessor.
He said the same truck would cost about $1 million if the deal were to close today.
That’s because the city looked ahead two years ago, he said, and made the deal in advance, as well as a deal on a new ladder truck that’s scheduled to arrive next month.
The city was able to lock in a price and rates, saving money, Kruger said, while also sidestepping supply chain issues caused by COVID.
New Bedford Fire Department assisted with design
The new truck is just under 32 feet (9.7 meters) long, he said, making it easier to navigate narrow streets.
“We designed it to have everything we wanted,” Kruger said.
“We put together a design team. We had a lot of people working on it.”
Kruger said they even made a mock hose storage compartment out of wood donated by Home Depot to show E-ONE exactly what was needed.
New ladder truck arrives in August
The city’s last new truck, Ladder 4, was delivered in 2021 and replaced a 2004 ladder truck, he said.
The new ladder truck arriving next month will replace Ladder 1 in the city centre – and deliver similar savings, Kruger said.
“If we were to buy this ladder truck today, it would have cost at least $250,000 more.”
Ladder 1 is the busiest ladder truck in the department, logging over 2,000 trips per year. Engine 8 logs over 2,200 trips per year.
Kruger added that there are additional savings because the new vehicles do not require the more expensive repairs and parts needed to keep the older trucks running.
City officials thanked for their support
“It’s a win for the fire department,” Kruger said. “We’re glad we have the support of the Mitchell Administration and the City Council to be proactive in this.”
Mayor Jon Mitchell released the following statement: “Two years ago, anticipating accelerating emergency equipment cost increases, we took the unusual step of ordering two fire trucks at once, knowing they wouldn’t arrive for at least two years. It paid off as we received two state-of-the-art vehicles for hundreds of thousands of dollars less than what we would pay today.”
Two more fire trucks have been ordered
Two more trucks have been ordered, expected to arrive in April 2025.
They replace two of the city’s busiest locomotives, which date back to 2014, Kruger said.
