4524 RAILWAY AVE, VERMILION
780-853-4701 www.vermilionchrysler.ca
Volume XVI-Issue 858
www.vermilionvoice.com
January 26, 2021
vermilionvoice@gmail.com
Vermilion Fire Department Receives Brand New Fire Truck
From left, Rocky Mountain Phoenix sale rep Dave Savostianik, Town of Vermilion CAO George Rogers, Vermilion Fire Department Fire Chief Bill Roth, Town of Vermilion Mayor Caroline McAuley, Rocky Mountain Phoenix sales manager Jay Elliott, and Vermilion Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Anton Krys with the new Rosenbauer 104’ Cobra Platform fire truck. Photo Lorna Hamilton
Lorna Hamilton Reporter
Members of the Vermilion Fire Department and the Town of Vermilion were full of smiles and excitement on Jan 21 as they eagerly awaited the arrival of their brand new state of the art Rosenbauer 104’ Cobra Platform fire truck which cost $1.4 million and was purchased to replace the departments 20-year-old pumper truck. “We are not adding a piece of equipment to the hall we are replacing a piece of equipment. We have a 20-year-old truck that has done its time, its service, and it’s time to get rid of that one and
have this one,” said Vermilion Fire Chief Bill Roth. The new truck (quint as it is called) has both a ladder and a pump. The 104’ ladder (from the ground) is also equipped with a basket which will result in easier rescue from heights as firefighters would not have to carry victims up and down the ladder. It will also add extra safety for firefighters who have to work at extreme heights and can reach any building that is currently in Vermilion. “Last year I had a firefighter fall off a roof and luckily was not hurt, it could have been much worse. In the end, my biggest
concern as Chief is fire safety and keeping my firefighters safe, they will not be working on roofs it will all be done from the ladder and basket” explained Roth. The truck is also equipped with a waterway in front of the basket which can provide the firefighters the opportunity to fight fires from above. It is a tandem axle truck equipped with outriggers to help stabilize the vehicle on uneven ground surfaces and has a function where they can operate the truck remotely if they had to with a joystick. “This will be a frontline truck, this will be the first truck out of the hall on any town
calls from now on, and will be in service for the next 25 years,” added Roth. The new unit was purchased from Rocky Mountain Phoenix from Red Deer but the deal was made in Indianapolis. “We made the deal in Indianapolis as we were down there for the FDIC which is an international fire conference and we specifically went there to find somebody that would build us a truck. We sat with all different manufacturers from all over the country in Canada and the United States and this was the best bang for our buck and fit our needs. Continued on page 6