Arizona's first electric fire truck has arrived in Gilbert

GILBERT, Ariz. - Saving lives while also saving the environment – the Gilbert Fire and Rescue Department is going electric.

"Had we not branded this truck differently, you would walk up and go, it looks just like the others," said Chief Rob Duggan.

Over at Fire Station No. 2 near Guadalupe and Higley Roads, GFD has a brand new Pierce Volterra electric fire truck.

Courtesy: Gilbert Fire & Rescue Department

"Essentially, this compartment right here is what is different about this truck. Everything from the cab forward and the pumphouse back is just like our other trucks, so in here houses three very large battery packs," explained Duggan.

Reducing emissions, minimizing fuel, and producing less noise with no compromise on performance and functionality. And it's also helping keep its crews safe.

"We are going to evaluate the cost as far as what it would cost to run diesel.. our legacy diesel motors for a year versus the cost of savings for the electric bills," said Duggan. "Of all the safety features we admire most about this truck is when it's in operation mode, there’s no cancer coming out of the tail pipe and I say it that way because diesel particulates are a contributor for cancers."

So far, there are only three being trialed in the country. Gilbert will track its truck for its cost-effectiveness compared to their diesel trucks, as well as performance. They'll also compare how the batteries run in our hot summer climate compared to an electric truck in colder climates.

"So this truck comes with a lot of efficiencies based on the electrification and how it performs, but we're also testing to see the effectiveness of the thermal management system to try to keep  those batteries in their optimal condition in temperatures in our high heat environment, high UV environment."

These trucks can last several hours on a single charge. And a full re-charge takes less than 90 minutes.