OCFD Answers Question About Use Of Fire Truck

In a January 19 Letter to editor – Argus Press – ‘Use of fire truck is a waste of money’, Owosso resident Robert Shepard writes:

I am writing about the city of Owosso Fire Department using a $250,000 fire truck which goes out with the ambulance on runs. When we are really going to need it we may not have it because it may be broken down.

If they want something to take out with the ambulance runs, why don’t they go and get a Yukon or Trail Blazer to do the job. The cost of diesel fuel is not cheap. It would be cheaper to take out that Yukon or Trail Blazer, instead of the $250,000 fire truck that I have to pay for if it breaks down because I am a taxpayer in the city of Owosso.

I would like to see them stop using the big fire truck for these runs and get a different, more economical vehicle to go along with the ambulances.

The Owosso Fire Department has answered this question on the Shiawassee Forum. Some excerpts:

The average weight of most of our patients is 200-300 lbs. It can be very difficult for only two men (an ambulance crew) to safely and skillfully negotiate a 200-300 lbs. person down from the third floor of the Kingswood apartments or up the basement stairs of any given house in Owosso. It is far safer for both the ambulance crew and the patient if we take the precaution of sending an engine so nobody gets hurt.

and

For the sake of argument let’s say we did have a Yukon and it did run with the ambulance. While on an ambulance call we receive another call for a house fire in Owosso. What would we do then? We certainly could not fight a fire with a Yukon. For this reason alone it is better to be prepared than unprepared.

You can read their response in its entirety here.