By Rachel Engel
APPLETON, Wis. — The Madison Fire Department now has in its arsenal the country’s first electric fire truck in active service – the Pierce Volterra zero-emissions pumper. The announcement comes as part of the unveiling of the Volterra Platform of Electric Vehicles today at Madison Fire Department Station 8, the city’s busiest station.
“The City of Madison is committed to many sustainability initiatives allowing us to meet our needs without compromising those of future generations,” Madison Fire Department Chief Steven Davis said. “Pierce’s Volterra electric pumper allows us to keep an environmentally-conscious focus on reducing emissions while maintaining our traditional pumper configuration without impacting our operational procedures.”
Madison’s Volterra electric pumper features:
- Enforcer custom chassis
- Expanded occupant space and visibility
- Seating capacity: 6
- GVWR: 42,000 lb.
- TAK-4 Independent Front Suspension
- 1,500-gpm single-stage pump
- 500-gallon water tank
- Compartmentation: 150 cubic feet plus ladder storage
- Hose capacity: 1,000 feet of 5-inch/850 feet of 2.5-inch hose
- 155-kW hour battery pack to meet the City of Madison’s daily duty cycle
As part of the partnership, Pierce Manufacturing will work with the Madison Fire Department to continue the “final development, evaluation and on-highway certification process” for the electric pumper.
The announcement also touched on the debut of the Striker Volterra performance hybrid Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) vehicles at airports, part of the company’s growth to provide environmentally conscious emergency response needs at airports.
“Oshkosh has been developing electric drives and vehicles for over 25 years, which will continue to be a critical part of our Fire & Emergency segment’s vision for a more sustainable future,” said Jim Johnson, Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president of Fire & Emergency.
Pierce Manufacturing and Oshkosh Airport Products are part of the Oshkosh Corporation Fire & Emergency segment.