It was a historic day in Los Angeles on Saturday, May 14, with the fire department’s newest addition to its fleet—the nation’s first all-electric fire engine.
LAFD officials and local dignitaries gathered at the Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Museum in Hollywood for Fire Service Day and to welcome firefighters from Austrian-based Rosenbauer, a construction company that makes tools and equipment for firefighters.
Assistant Fire Chief Wade White said the agency ordered firefighters in 2020, with its originally scheduled to arrive in 2021, but the coronavirus pandemic led to complications.
At the time of purchase, there were only three such Rosenbauer fire engines or trucks in the world, in Berlin, Amsterdam and Dubai. Other manufacturers may have produced somewhat similar. But with respect to the United States, the LAFD’s version is the country’s first all-electric fire truck, or engine, the company says.
The Rancho Cucamonga Fire District followed shortly after purchasing its own Rosenbauer, which was expected to arrive in 2023.
LAFD Chief Chief Kristin Crowley and Mayor Eric Garcetti show off the department’s new electric fire engine at Fire Station 27 in Hollywood during Fire Service Day, Saturday, May 14, 2022 – one such in the US. (Photo/photographer contributed by Mike Meadows)
LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley shows off the department’s new electric fire engine at Fire Station 27 in Hollywood during Fire Service Day, Saturday, May 14, 2022 – one such in the US. Chief Crowley drove the new rig to the station. (Photo/photographer contributed by Mike Meadows)
The Los Angeles Fire Department shows the first all-electric fire engine in North America during Fire Service Day on Saturday, May 14, 2022, at Fire Station 82 in Hollywood. The new electric truck was custom built for the department. (Photo by Rick McClure / contributing photographer)
The Los Angeles Fire Department shows the first all-electric fire engine in North America during Fire Service Day on Saturday, May 14, 2022, at Fire Station 82 in Hollywood. The new electric truck was custom built for the department. Above, fire officers including Chief Kristin M. Crowley, fourth from left, and LA City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, fourth from right, pose with the new engine. (Photo by Rick McClure / contributing photographer)
LAFD Chief Chief Kristin Crowley and a young girl pose in front of the department’s new electric fire engine at Fire Station 27 in Hollywood during Fire Service Day, Saturday, May 14, 2022 – one such in America. (Photo/photographer contributed by Mike Meadows)
LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley meets a young girl and her mother during Fire Service Day Saturday, May 14, 2022 at Fire Station 27 in Hollywood. Behind them is LAFD’s new electric fire engine. (Photo/photographer contributed by Mike Meadows)
The Los Angeles Fire Department shows the first all-electric fire engine in North America during Fire Service Day on Saturday, May 14, 2022, at Fire Station 82 in Hollywood. The new electric truck was custom built for the department. Above, a child enjoys a view of the driver. (Photo by Rick McClure / contributing photographer)
The Los Angeles Fire Department shows the first all-electric fire engine in North America during Fire Service Day on Saturday, May 14, 2022, at Fire Station 82 in Hollywood. The new electric truck was custom built for the department. (Photo by Rick McClure / contributing photographer)
The Los Angeles Fire Department shows the first all-electric fire engine in North America during Fire Service Day on Saturday, May 14, 2022, at Fire Station 82 in Hollywood. The new electric truck was custom built for the department. Upstairs a child sits in front. (Photo by Rick McClure / contributing photographer)
The Los Angeles Fire Department shows the first all-electric fire engine in North America during Fire Service Day on Saturday, May 14, 2022, at Fire Station 82 in Hollywood. The new electric truck was custom built for the department. (Photo by Rick McClure / contributing photographer)
A family visits Fire Chief Kristin M. during Fire Service Day on Saturday, May 14, 2022, at Fire Station 82 on Hollywood Boulevard. Meets Crowley. (Photo by Rick McClure / contributing photographer)
The Los Angeles Fire Department shows the first all-electric fire engine in North America during Fire Service Day on Saturday, May 14, 2022, at Fire Station 82 in Hollywood. The new electric truck was custom built for the department. Above, Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley drove the new engine from the LAFD Museum to Station 82. (Photo by Rick McClure / contributing photographer)
The Los Angeles Fire Department shows the first all-electric fire engine in the US during Fire Service Day on Saturday, May 14, 2022, at Fire Station 82 in Hollywood. (Photo by Rick McClure / contributing photographer)
LAFD chief Kristin M. Crowley said the engine is a step towards a greener future for Los Angeles.
“The new electric fire engine is an excellent platform for our department to test the future of alternative energy … and allows our department to move forward,” Crowley said.
The fire engine has two batteries with a charge capacity of 100 kW, which enables it to operate fully for about two hours. There is an onboard diesel generator as a backup for the battery. The fire engine also comes with a smaller diesel engine – just in case.
The base cost for the Rosenbauer RT – or Rosenbauer Real Technology – is $900,000, with agencies able to customize them. The LAFD’s electric fire engine costs about $1.2 million.
The engine idles automatically at a standstill, though the lighting and equipment remain powered by batteries, reducing noise levels, which the chief said is important when emergency crews need attention.
“It will reduce the noise, and bring it to basically nothing with respect to diesel emissions,” she said. “We’ll actually make room for our firefighters to stay healthy around our fire engines.”
The fire engine largely retains the traditional look with a coat of red paint. It has a tight turning radius. Unlike other engines in the city’s fleet, Crowley said the vehicle can also go up and down to meet needs depending on the terrain.
Scott said it was assigned to Fire Station 82 in Hollywood, where the crew had been training how to operate the engine for the past few months. The station will serve as a test site, as officials closely watch how fire engines manage the narrow streets of the Hollywood Hills.
At the end of the ceremony, Crowley drove the engine to Station 82—where the crew continued a long-standing tradition of pushing the fire engine into the equipment bay, which would be its new home.
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