BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — The Baton Rouge Fire Department has brand new tools to fight fires and keep you and your family safe. This is all thanks to a $4 million investment.
Kanen Blackwell knows how to fight fires and he says putting them out used to be way more challenging. “The suspension was definitely a lot rougher. So there’s a lot more wear and tear just from that. It was a lot tighter inside of the truck. So people getting dressed inside the trucks en the route to the call, you’re bumping into each other. Things may be falling,” he explained.
But, not anymore! The Baton Rouge Fire Department will be arriving to fires in style with five new fire trucks and new gear. Blackwell said, “We can move better. We can move faster. Right? Which means if somebody is trapped inside, somebody needs to be helped. We can get there faster and more efficiently,” he claimed. Michael Kimble, Chief of the Baton Rouge Fire Department agreed, “These are some of the safest equipment on the market right now.”
Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome dedicated 4 million dollars in funding from the American Rescue Plan to help get new equipment and trucks. Fire Chief Michael Kimble and his crew say this is crucial because the older fire trucks are more than 25 years old. ‘Most of our firefighters are younger than those actual trucks,” Blackwell said.
Firefighters tell me the new fire trucks not only have more room but are better equipped for safety. “Technological advances. A lot of safety features. Has a better view of the fire scene. Can see what’s going on. Has eyes outside of the scene if anything goes bad. We also have lower hose beds in the rear,” said Blackwell.
The equipment is already being used at several fire stations in Baton Rouge.
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