There are certain places only Fire Truck 1 with San Luis Obispo City Fire can get to, and now it’s back in commission after some handy work in-house.
Fire Truck 1 began service in 2010 as a first-out vehicle able to reach places other vehicles in their fleet simply can’t, with its 100-foot ladder on display in fires like the Sub Fire in downtown San Luis Obispo in 2015.
“So this has a lot more maneuverability, the ability to carry more equipment and access higher buildings," Deputy Fire Chief Armando Gutierrez said.
But in 2023, it reached its recommended number of hours of service and with constant repairs and replacements already needed, the department had a decision to make: Replace it, send it out for repairs or fix it themselves.
“We were having a lot of mechanical issues over the last three years, frequent breaks, frequent parts being replaced, just kind of wearing out," Gutierrez stated.
The in-house build took about 281 hours of work over five months, costing about $138,000 in parts. To outsource the refurbishment would’ve taken between 9-12 months and cost the department $580,000.
“We have our own fire vehicle mechanic, Gus Vargas, who has the ability, has the experience in doing a complete engine rebuild," Gutierrez explained. "So we looked at that option and that's what we ended up going with.”
“It's a pretty significant cost increase as well as out-of-service time," SLO City Fire Chief Todd Tuggle said. "So fortunately, we have a pretty highly skilled mechanic here in town and we're able to get that accomplished in-house for a significant reduction in the cost.”
To replace Fire Truck 1 after its life cycle costs around $2.2 million, according to Chief Tuggle, with a wait time of four years. According to the International Fire and Safety Journal, prices for pumper trucks have doubled in the last decade with wait times even exceeding four years for new trucks.
"We are looking at different things to see what we're going to be able to provide that same level of service to the community right now, today or in 2030, as well as forecasting that out to 2050 and when the end of life will be for that next truck," Gutierrez explained.
The refurbished fire truck is now back in service with Chief Tuggle explaining that it would’ve been able to help on the Templeton Feed and Grain fire but also will be able to help out at other large buildings like the Anderson Hotel and the Cal Poly library in the event of a fire.
The truck’s lifespan is about 20 years, meaning that by 203,0 they will likely need to bring in a new one to replace Fire Truck 1.
