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Fire department gets new rescue vehicle

 

The Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue Authority (SVFRA) has received a new $165,000 fire department rescue vehicle that will be in service by July 1.

The equipment and training were secured by the Sonoma County Fire and Emergency Services Department. The county has chosen SVFRA as the fire department in the county that will operate and manage the equipment.

The new vehicle is a 2011 KME, 260-horsepower diesel rescue vehicle that will be housed at Station 3, on Agua Caliente Road. The equipment will be staffed by specially trained members of the fire department. The cost to equip the new vehicle is about $40,000.

The vehicle, specialized training and cost of the required equipment were funded 100 percent through grant funding and donations. Ninety percent of the costs were paid by a Federal Homeland Security grant. The additional 10 percent was secured by the Sonoma Valley Firefighters Association, a professional group made up of part-time and volunteer firefighters. The Sonoma Valley Firefighters Association received a grant from Fireman's Fund for 5 percent. The remaining 5 percent was paid by monies earned through community fundraising events.

The new rescue is intended for use throughout Sonoma County but will be made available for state and national responses on special request. The staffing and equipment costs associated with the rescue working outside of the county are reimbursed.

The new equipment is categorized as a "Type 2 Rescue" and is required to carry an array of specialized equipment to deal with a variety of rescue emergencies. It will be staffed with a minimum of six specially trained members who have an additional 300 hours of training. With the new vehicle and equipment, the SVFRA will be better prepared to respond to and mitigate a variety of rescue scenarios to: include but not be limited to; confined space rescue, trench rescue, high and low angle rescue, swift water rescue, breaching and breaking, shoring and building stabilization.