The Lake County Public Safety Department’s Fire Rescue Division will add a new fire truck to its fleet next month, replacing an aging 2005 squad.
On December 10, 2019 at 9 am, Lake County Commissioners, Public Safety staff, and fellow colleagues will gather at Lake County Fire Station 76, located at 8819 County Road 48 in Yalaha,” for a pushback ceremony.
The “push back” is a tradition dating back to the days of horse-drawn fire wagons that had to be detached from the horses and “pushed back” into the firehouse.
“In its first year of service Squad 8 will respond to more than 700 standard fire and EMS calls, in addition to a range of special operations services, including vehicle extractions, hazardous materials incidents and technical rescues,” said Fire Chief Jim Dickerson.
Squad 8 is the lead Hazardous Materials unit in Lake County and will respond out of Lake County Fire Station 76, one of only three Special Operations Response Team stations in the county.
The third generation 2019 Pierce Enforcer Custom Pumper will provide fire, rescue, and emergency services to the community of Yalaha and surrounding areas. The unit was designed to provide expanded services by utilizing an 84″ extended crew cab with additional storage.
Additionally, the extended body length will provide a large amount of space for hazardous materials mitigation equipment along with standard firefighting and EMS equipment. The specialized equipment on board includes a 750-gallon water tank, a 1500-gallon per minute pump, and a foam system capable of delivering large volumes of foam for fire, fuel, and chemical suppression.
