By Cameron Adams
The Frederick News-Post
Frederick County will acquire one of the first electric firetrucks on the East Coast, County Executive Jessica Fitzwater said Wednesday.
Fitzwater said the county will be “a leader in protecting the environment while also protecting our community.”
She shared the news at a press conference announcing several grants that the county received from the Maryland Energy Administration. The event was held in the shade of a canopy of solar panels paid for, in part, by a previous MEA grant.
The MEA provided a $262,432 Medium Duty and Heavy Duty grant to help the county complete the firetruck purchase.
Communications Director Vivian Laxton said Wednesday that the county doesn’t yet know the final cost of the truck, which will be custom-built.
County Fire Chief Tom Coe said the electric firetruck, which will be made by manufacturing company Pierce Volterra, is expected to arrive in December 2025 and will be housed at the Northgate Fire Station.
Coe said he toured the Appleton, Wisconsin, manufacturing plant with Deputy Chief Steven Leatherman in August 2023. He said they talked with engineers and saw the truck.
He said that during the demonstration, the engines were quiet.
“The lack of noise in the unit really surprised us,” Coe said.
Compared to loud diesel engines, he said, the electric motor allows teams of firefighters to communicate more effectively. Further, he said, it could combat hearing loss, a known problem for firefighters.
The National Institutes of Health released a report in 2023, saying that 30% of firefighters who participated in the study experienced hearing loss that ranged from mild to profound. The study stated that prevalence was “considerably worse than expected by normal aging alone.”
“We feel strongly that this new electric fire engine, not only allows us to provide critical life safety services in a sustainable manner, but it also helps to achieve our goals of a healthier work environment for our fire rescue responders,” Coe said.
Frederick County thinks it will have the first electric firetruck on the East Coast, but was not certain, Laxton said.
Pierce Volterra has provided electric firetrucks to fire departments in Madison, Wisconsin; Portland, Oregon; and Gilbert, Arizona, according to its website.
Coe said the expected range of 70 miles on a full charge is more than sufficient for the Northgate station. The company’s website said the vehicle is capable of a full recharge in less than 90 minutes.
Maryland Energy Administration Director Paul Pinsky, who attended Wednesday’s announcement event, called the groundbreaking firetruck “cool” and complimented the forethought of all involved in the project.
“I would like the other 23 jurisdictions to step up in the same way you have,” Pinsky said.
Additionally, Fitzwater said the MEA awarded over $1.8 million to the county’s Power Saver Retrofits Program, which provides energy efficiency upgrades at no cost for low- to moderate-income households.
“This is not simply a middle- or an upper-middle-class effort,” Pinsky said. “If we’re going to move towards clean energy, it takes everyone.”
Other local MEA grants went to lighting infrastructure in Fountain Rock, Libertytown, Middletown and Pinecliff Parks.
Fitzwater said the lighting projects will save the county 178,000-kilowatt hours of energy per year.
All told, Fitzwater said, the county received $3.4 million in grants from the MEA.
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