The Tulsa Fire Department is making up for years of going without adequate equipment.
TFD now has eight new engines, three new ladder trucks and one new hazmat vehicle. The city also plans to buy four more engines and a ladder truck.
The fire trucks were purchased with money from FEMA, the American Rescue Plan Act fund and the second Improve Our Tulsa package.
Fire Chief Michael Baker says the fire department didn’t buy any new apparatuses from roughly 2007 to 2018.
"When you look at that, with the life of an engine being in the 10-15 year range and a ladder being a little longer than that, you can see how we could get behind quite quickly," Baker said.
The additions mean every vehicle in the fleet will have been produced by at least 2019.
Baker says a firetruck that works is important for responding to emergencies.
"It starts when we need it to start, you know, it operates safely, and then when it arrives on the scene of a fire or a medical emergency, it’s ready to be put into action, which means that the pump works. We don’t have any concerns with water issues or anything like that," he said.
A statement from the city says these additions help Tulsa keep the best possible insurance services score, which keeps home insurance rates low.
