Donated Brampton fire trucks will help with emergency response in Indigenous communities, city says

A pair of Brampton Fire and Emergency Services fire trucks will travel as far as Alberta to help train fire fighters in Indigenous communities on how to battle blazes during wild fire season in Canada.

The two “surplus” BFES trucks have been donated by the City of Brampton to the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council – a group that provides Indigenous communities with the tools, training and equipment to safely fight fires.

The donations are part of a program called Firefighters Without Borders Canada that extends the life cycle of essential fire fighting equipment to help fire departments and volunteer groups better protect their communities.

One of the vehicles is a technical rescue truck that will assist with emergency responses on Manitoulin Island while the other is a fire engine that will be sent to the Montana First Nations in Alberta.

“This invaluable support will be a powerful resource for wildland fire suppression training in First Nations communities,” the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council said in a release.

As some fire engines reach the end of their service cycle the city is looking to add electric fire trucks to its fleet.

The first electric vehicle fire fighting vehicle arrived in Brampton earlier this year and comes with modern safety and environmentally friendly features that the city says benefit not just the environment but firefighters as well.

The trucks have all-wheel steering so they can manoeuvre in tight locations and narrower roads like in newer subdivisions, and incorporate the latest technologies to improve health and safety while reducing risk of firefighter injury.

In 2023 city staff asked council to greenlight an additional $1.3 million in funding to purchase more Rosenbauer electric fire trucks.

The city says switching to electric fire trucks will lead to cost savings over time from reduced fuel usage and maintenance compared to a traditional diesel-powered apparatus.

Thank you to Firefighters Without Borders Canada, Brampton Fire, and Mayor Patrick Brown for their generous donation of a Technical Rescue truck!

This invaluable support will be a powerful resource for wildland fire suppression training in First Nations communities. pic.twitter.com/iccmR7Q9fl

— National Indigenous Fire Safety Council (@NIFSC_CA) November 13, 2024