Colorado Springs Fire Department adds three new fire vehicles to its fleet

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)-- The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) is adding new vehicles to its fleet just as the city is making budget cuts in all departments.

Fire Chief Randy Royal said most fire departments typically get their fire vehicles replaced every 12 years, however, their department in Colorado Springs is about 5 years behind that deadline. This means the three new fire trucks that were delivered on Oct 31 come during a time of need.

The city of Colorado Springs has a total of 40 fire vehicles, including ladder and fire trucks which are used every single day. 

"They have to respond, whether it's a fire or a medical, they have to respond quickly. And so we don't want them breaking down while they're responding. And then when they're on scene and again with an engine, that's our pump, that's what pumps all the water to fight the fire," added Royal. "So it's pretty exciting news for us, is that we finally received our three new fire engines two of them that are here, for engine 8 and engine 7, and then the third one is going to station four." 

Royal said making sure the vehicles are maintained and replaced is essential for crews to keep focusing on battling fires. But he did mention the city is behind most departments on getting new vehicles due to its budget.

"So most departments have a 12-year replacement plan, we have a 17-year, and it's basically because of our budget and how we have to work within our sales tax here in town," said Royal.

Despite having a replacement plan for trucks every 17 years, Royal estimates the rotation is closer to about 20 years. He mentioned the prices of the fire trucks have also doubled within the last two years. 

"We do have a couple of apparatus that are over 200,000 miles, that's a lot, especially for an emergency vehicle like this," said Royal.  

This is why Royal mentioned increasing the budget for equipment is a top priority to ensure the public stays safe. 

 "Obviously, if we can't depend on our units to get to us, to scenes, make sure we're having good response times and that the equipment works on a scene that's that's, you know, could be a significant issue," said Royal.

Next year, all city departments will be operating on a budget cut of 3.4 percent, however, Royal said he plans on continuing to highlight the need for these trucks in the coming years.