UAF commissions new fire engine
September 9, 2019
The UAF student fire department commissioned a new fire engine on Tuesday, Sept. 3. The new firetruck, designated Engine 11, was purchased with tax receipts collected from University Fire Service Area residents. The vehicle cost $730,197. It will replace Engine 16, a 1993 unit that had reached the end of its useful service life.
This new piece of equipment will primarily serve the Fairbanks campus and the northern and parts of the University Fire Service Area (Farmers Loop Road, Ballaine Road, Yankovich Road, College Road and Sheep Creek Road). It features safety enhancements that include rollover prevention, crash protection, lighting and communications systems, and carcinogen exposure prevention features. It is designed to reduce the time and expense of training new driver-operators.
As is fire department tradition, the rig was ceremoniously put into service by members of the department pushing it into the fire station. Chancellor White was on hand to help push the 53,000-pound truck, as were commissioners Jerry Phillips and Bruce Foote, both UAF alumni. There was also a traditional blessing performed by Chaplain Robert Fath.
The UAF fire department is staffed with full-time students employed as full-time firefighters and emergency medical technicians, and supervised by 10 career officers. Student employees of the fire department gain experience while pursuing degrees in fire science, paramedicine, emergency management and others. Because of the focus on academic achievement and occupational immersion, the department has in impressive placement rate into public safety careers. The department staffs two fire stations: the Whitaker Building on campus, and Fire Station 12 on University Avenue.