Bernalillo County Fire Rescue welcomes $1.9M truck to North Valley station

Bernalillo County Fire Rescue brought home a new ladder truck with a push-in ceremony at Fire Station 36 in Northeast Albuquerque on Tuesday.

"The push-in ceremony honors a long-standing fire service tradition dating back to the 1800s, when firefighters manually pushed horse-drawn fire wagons into their stations after returning from calls," BCFR spokesperson William Harris said in a news release. 

The truck's features include a wireless system of headsets that will improve communication between firefighters during an incident, he said. The headsets provide hearing protection in high-noise environments and allowing firefighters to talk to one another regardless of their location.

"It's pretty awesome," Harris said in an interview.

The new truck also has a shorter wheelbase, which will allow for easier maneuvering through North Valley neighborhoods, and a ladder with an over 100-foot vertical reach that will enable crews "to effectively operate multi-story incidents and complex rescue scenes," Harris said.

"The new truck not only enhances BCFR's operational capabilities but also reflects the department's ongoing commitment to providing reliable, high-quality emergency services to the community," Bernalillo County Fire Rescue Chief Zach Lardy said in a statement.

The $1.9 million truck was purchased using a combination of capital outlay and county monies and public safety tax dollars, Harris said.

Fire Station 36 sits at 501 Bear Canyon NE, near Edith and Osuna.

Gregory R.C. Hasman is a general assignment reporter and the Road Warrior. He can be reached at ghasman@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3820.