Los Angeles Receives Its First All-Electric Fire Engine

The City of Los Angles Fire Department welcomed its first electric fire engine, and one of the first in the nation, over the weekend. The Rosenbauer RTX will soon enter service at the LAFD Station 82 in Hollywood, according to a press release.

The LAFD is the first fire department in the nation to purchase an all-electric fire engine from Rosenbauer. The purchase was made in 2020.

Once the batteries in the engine reach 20%, an onboard diesel range extender will kick in and recharge the batteries in as little as 45 minutes, extending operations for another four to six hours, according to Todd McBridge, RTX sales and marketing manager.

Here are some other features of the LAFD's engine:

• adjustable suspension can be changed depending on the terrain
• 500-gallon water tank
• can hold up to 1,000 ft. of a 4- or 5-in. hose
• two 6-in. intakes on the rear, plus two auxilliary intakes
• power supply unit that can down-convert the 800 volts to either 220 or 110, replacing the need for a hydraulic, diesel, or gas generator on the vehicle.

"When we talk about firefighter health and overall wellbeing, it'll reduce and bring [diesel emissions] basically to nothing. And that's a very important piece, at least from my perspective, that we are going to create the space for our firefighters to be healthier around our fire engines," LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley said at the department's annual Fire Service Day over the weekend.

Last month, the Los Angeles City Council voted to electrify its fleet of 10,000 vehicles.

Watch the video below from this year's FDIC event to learn more about the new fire engine.