Victoria welcomes first of 2 electric fire trucks

The Victoria Fire Department has a new tool in its toolbox.

The department says its first electric fire truck will do everything the old diesel-powered fire trucks do with some new capabilities.

“The physical size of the vehicle is smaller than what we’re currently running,” said Cory Meeres, the Victoria Fire Department's master mechanic.

It's three feet shorter and four inches narrower, which makes it easier to navigate Victoria’s busy streets.

The truck comes equipped with air suspension, allowing its height to be adjusted to four different levels. It’s all-wheel drive, unlike its predecessors, and being electric, there is more space for storage.

“The total all-in cost was about $1.7 million," says Victoria fire Chief Dan Atkinson.

Two grants from the provincial and federal governments – totalling $660,000 – bring replacement costs in line with a new diesel truck at around $1.2 million.

“Total cost to ownership is definitely lower so when we look at that total lifecycle of say a 20-year vehicle, we’re saving a lot of money in fuel over that 20 years,” said Simon Upshon, manager of fleet operations with the City of Victoria.

The electric Rosenbauer RTX isn’t the first in western Canada. In December 2023, Vancouver Fire Rescue Services purchased the same truck, although it came with a leaking 500-gallon water tank.

“Candidly, it couldn’t have worked out better for us,” said Atkinson.

Vancouver quickly identified the issue and the fix has now has been applied the Victoria’s new machine by the manufacturer in Austria.

“We’re not worried about the technology or the performance at all,” said the chief.

It’s quieter and looks a bit different than what many are used to. 

According to the city, it also has an onboard diesel engine that will automatically engage when the battery drops below 20 per cent during an extended firefighting response, ensuring no breaks in service.

“It looks really cool,” said Evan Fraser who is seeing the fire truck for the first time.

“It looks a bit like a spaceship,” added Brody Coulter.

The City of Victoria currently has 35 electric vehicles in its fleet. Twenty-five more are on order and the goal is to hit 143 in the city's fleet by 2030.

“The City of Victoria is the perfect location geographically because its footprint isn’t very big,” said Upshon. “Our daily mileage isn’t very big so we can take advantage of that for the battery electric fleet.”

The Victoria Fire Department says the new electric fire truck will be in service within the next few weeks and it already has another on order, which is scheduled to arrive in 16 to 19 months.