On March 21, the Chapel Hill Fire Department announced on X that it has acquired two new fire trucks, Engine 32 and Engine 33, to add to its current fleet of four engines and two ladder trucks.
Fire chief Jay Mebane said the new trucks will serve Chapel Hill fire stations 2 and 3, and protect those areas of the community. Between three and four firefighters are assigned to each fire truck every day, he said.
Mebane said the new trucks, 2021 and 2022 models, cost $600,000 and $710,000, respectively. He said technology has changed a lot. To continue to meet national standards and align with best practices, he also said that CHFD should upgrade the fire trucks as needed.
“There’s a life term that these fire trucks have, and once you run it for so long, the cost of repairs and maintenance and upkeep exceeds the value of the unit,” he said.
Mebane said it was necessary to not only protect the firefighters with new technology and equipment, but also to utilize the funding CHFD received from the community to the best of its ability.
The new trucks have advanced camera systems, enhanced braking mechanisms and redesigned water tanks. Ergonomic and safety enhancements — like lower hose beds to prevent injuries and electric ladder racks to allow firefighters to grab ladders from the ground — aim to mitigate risks and enhance accessibility, he said.
“And it's just how technology has evolved over the years to help firefighters and officers be safer and be more accountable to the truck and be able to identify things that are not readily apparent,” Mebane said.
Susan Brown, the executive director for strategic communications for the Town, said CHFD will hold its first-ever “push-in” ceremony for the new trucks, where firefighters and the community will push the trucks into the station, she said.
Mebane said the ceremony will take place in early or mid-April and that the date is still being finalized.
