The Vaudreuil-Dorion fire department has added a new pumper truck to its fleet of emergency vehicles and will officially go into service in a few weeks.

The truck was ordered in July 2021and is part of the city's plan to replace its fleet of vehicles. This acquisition represents an investment by the city of $1,078,060.21.

The vehicle is based at fire station 12 on rue Forbes and will become the main front-line truck.

It features a full-height crew cab, high-performance foam system, integrated generator, LED lighting tower, a 1,000-gallon water tank and 200 gallons of foam.

The ladders and all the equipment are integrated into weatherproof lockers. The stainless steel body and aluminum cab with galvanized steel substructure will ensure a longer-than-normal service life.

"I'm proud of the board's support of the fleet replacement plan, which began in 2014. To date, 70 percent of the fleet has been replaced. This new equipment is essential to our mission which is to save lives," said fire department Director Terry Rousseau. 

A symbolic gesture

To mark the occasion, the fire department continued an old tradition of pushing the new vehicle into the fire station.

In the 1800s, when pumps and water supplies were carried by horses, it was difficult for them to move the equipment backwards.

The horse was unharnessed and the firefighters pushed the pump back into the fire station after each call. To honour the tradition, this symbolic gesture is repeated by fire departments around the world when a new vehicle is commissioned.

New fire station update

Construction of the new fire station on Route de Lotbinière will be completed by next year. It will become the second station to cover the city's urban territory 24/7 and will also serve the nearby municipality of Pointe-des-Cascades.

Construction on the new building, also known as the Lotbinière Fire Station, began in 2021. It replaces the former building which was built in 1966. It was demolished because it no longer met the needs of the fire department.

Fire crews and equipment are currently housed at a nearby temporary premises.