Lincoln Fire Receives Rescue Truck

Lincoln Fire Rescue added another vehicle to its inventory last week with a "new" Rescue Response Truck acquired from the Helena Fire Department.

The specialized vehicle, built on a 4x4 2000 Ford F550 chassis, sports a red, white and gold paint job, resembles an ambulance and is outfitted to carry everything needed for rescue operations, from the department's extrication tools and rescue equipment to hazmat gear, basic medical supplies and fire extinguishers capable of dealing with small fires. It will serve as the primary response vehicle for traffic accidents, wrecks and other rescue situations.

"It's going to be a huge asset to the valley, especially the motorists," Lincoln Fire Chief Zach Muse said.

The LVFD's main fire engine has served as the primary rescue vehicle for several years, but it hasn't been the ideal vehicle for the task, particularly in extreme cold weather when it's plumbing is most susceptible to freezing and breaking.

Muse said he and Aaron Birkholz, a fire captain and the president of the Lincoln Volunteer Ambulance, had looked at various rescue trucks in the past that they might be able to get a grant for, but it never worked out. They had settled on using the department's brush truck as the primary rescue response vehicle, but, like the big engine, was also susceptible to damage in cold weather due to the exposed plumbing for the water tank and pump.

At a meeting at the Helena Fire Department last winter, Muse noticed the truck and asked about it. When he was told they didn't use it anymore he simply asked if the LVFD could have it. Muse said he kept talking to them about it and this fall, when the Helena Fire Department did their annual disposal of assets, they transferred the vehicle to Lincoln.

Muse and Merle Horner have been working to get the new Rescue Response Truck set up for service, which is having the follow-on benefit of freeing up the big fire engine and the brush truck for the original uses.

He said by moving the extrication tools, cribbing and other equipment from fire engine to the Rescue Response ruck, they've freed up space on the engine that will make it more efficient for firefighting.

"Everything in there was stacked. So, we'd have to pull out half the (gear) to get to everything on the bottom. Now we've got room. Its ready for fire and that's what it was made for, instead of fire and extrication and traffic and you name it," he said.

Muse said the firefighters agreed to use money raised through the Fireman's Ball and wildland firefighting to outfit the vehicle with the remaining necessities so there won't be an extra cost to the taxpayers.

Muse believes the money saved in the maintenance and fuel on the fire engine will offset the additional maintenance and fuel costs on the new truck.

In addition to an integrated generator, winch, additional storage and slide outs for various tools and equipment, the Rescue Response Truck also has space to carry up to four additional emergency responders, which will limit the number of vehicles the department needs to use to get personnel to an incident.

"I don't have to take two or three trucks to an incident because I can only fit three people tin one rig," Muse said.

That also means people at a scene will have a place to get out of the elements.

"We always end up on a wreck with two or three people who stand on the side of the highway while the winds blowing or it's snowing and cold. I've got heat, I've got air conditioning, blankets...I can get them out of the weather until they figure out what they're going to do," Muse said. "I can't transport anybody, but I can at least get the uninjured out of the weather."

Although the Rescue Response Truck won't be outfitted for firefighting per se, Muse said they are working on building a large compressed air foam fire extinguisher for it that will provide up to ten minutes of suppression on any type of fire, which can be used if they respond to an accident and find a vehicle on fire.

For now, the task is to get the truck ready for service and there's still some work to be done on it, including the installation of radios and new Lincoln Fire Rescue decals. A paint job, however, is not in the cards, so it will continue to stand out locally as the departments only vehicle with a classic red paint job.