Thirteen HME Ahrens-Fox Type 1 Engines Delivered to California Fire Departments Through OES Grants

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In January of 2008, HME Incorporated was awarded a multi-year contract from the State of California to build over 120 Type 1 fire engines. These vehicles were to be distributed to Cal Fire, the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES), the Department of Corrections and the Sonoma Center. Models to be included in this contract were the HME Ahrens-Fox, Silver Fox, Wolf, CAT (City Attack Truck), RAT (Rapid Attack Truck), Rodent, and Arsenal. Since then and despite the economic downturn that the state has faced, thirteen of these new Type 1 engines have been delivered to fire departments throughout California through a grant awarded by the Governor's Office of Emergency Services.

Valued at approximately $350,000 each, two of these units were awarded to Cal Fire Riverside and the Hemet Fire Department. The HME Ahrens-Fox Type 1 engines are a vast improvement over the units that they replaced, boasting several new features. Captain Oscar Torres of the Cal Fire Riverside French Valley Airport station says that the most important upgrade that the new HME offers is an enclosed cab. The old truck had an open cab, and the new enclosed cab gives firefighters better protection against the elements and against the heat they encounter at wildfires. He says, "Typically these units go out for larger wildfires, for structural protection. Now with the new unit, it is an enclosed environmental cab. So if we get into an area where we are exposed to a lot of heat, the firefighters are already inside and have a layer of protection from the vehicle."

Another safety innovation on these trucks is the computerized pumping controls. Torres says, "The engine does have some safeties built in so that if someone walks away we wouldn't have to worry about if the truck runs out of water. There are safeties in here not to burn up our pump."

Other features include a larger water tank. The new HME Ahrens-Fox has an 850 gallon water tank, whereas the old trucks had a 500 gallon capacity. It also has an automatic transmission, a short wheel base, and a low profile, making it ideal for the structural protection element of wildland firefighting. Roll-up doors with roll-out drawers make for easy access storage space. Pre-connects assist with quick response at the scene of the fire.

The stations that have received the new OES Type 1 engines feel fortunate to have them, especially in the current economic climate. Cal Fire Riverside's Captain Oscar Torres says, "I'm just glad that we're the recipients of…that grant. There are a lot of departments out there that I do know are still using some of the old units. I believe they are looking forward to the replacement of those, and we're just lucky to be one of those." Chief Matt Shobert of the Hemet Fire Department, who was forced to close one of his stations, says of the new truck, "We are honored to remain part of this statewide program and receive the new truck, which quite frankly is a win-win-win, not only for the Hemet Fire Department but for our surrounding community and then at the state level as well."

Departments who received these fire trucks through the OES grant are required to respond to calls anywhere in the State of California where there is an emergency. Chief Shobert embraces this saying, "When you receive a truck like this, you really need to commit to have it on the road responding to a disaster outside of the community within a few moments. And what we have tried to do is adopt the philosophy that when we are requested to respond this truck to a neighboring community within our state, we try and address it like we would the heart attack or traffic accident right down the street. We want to be on the road with this piece of equipment with a well-trained crew within a couple of minutes so that we can offer that assistance throughout the state, and in turn we hope that same philosophy applies to us."

Shobert, like many others, praises the state for their efforts to provide first responders with this type of equipment given the economic hardship California is facing. He says that these trucks allow more personnel, equipment, water and hose to respond to emergency incidents, allowing better protection for the citizens of California.

Watch Bill Lorin's report on the Type 3 engines that have been awarded to several California fire departments through an OES grant.