Get to Know Santa Monica's Newest Fire Truck 🚒

October 18, 2019 4:02 PM
by Patrick Nulty

Santa Monica Fire's newest apparatus, Truck 1, was brought into service earlier this year and is specifically designed for downtown Santa Monica's dense urban environment. This model style with two different steering wheels for the front and back tires has a firefighter steering the trailer, as well as the tractor making it especially valuable for making tight corners in the city.

“Ensuring Santa Monica has the finest Fire Department possible is my top priority, and these new engines represent the tremendous support our firefighters have from City Council, the City Manager, and of course our community,” says Santa Monica Fire Chief Bill Walker. "The addition of the new ladder truck will help ensure the safety, health and wellbeing of our community for many years to come."

Truck 1 features a heavy-duty, four-section aerial ladder that measures 100 feet in length. This ladder allows our Firefighters to access windows, balconies, and roofs tops of buildings up to seven stories. The new apparatus also features an array of ladders ranging from 12’ to 35’ in length, as well as tools and equipment to handle traffic collisions that require vehicle extrication, or forcible entry into structures.

The Truck carries other equipment that allows firefighters to assist during an elevator entrapment, flood conditions, and other emergency situations. New truck 1 replaces the Department's 13-year-old truck from 2006 and is stationed at Fire Station 1, SMFD’s Headquarters in downtown.

Authored By

Patrick Nulty
Fire Captain