North Carolina fire department orders all-electric fire truck

The Charlotte, N.C., Fire Department recently announced that it has ordered an all-electric Vector fire truck, expected to be the first-of-its-kind operating in the state.

The order was placed with fire apparatus manufacturer Spartan Emergency Response, a subsidiary of REV Group, Inc.

“We are honored to continue serving the Charlotte Fire Department, a longtime Smeal pumper and aerial customer,”
Spartan Emergency Response Director of Sales Chris Wade said. “Working with Fire Chief Reginald Johnson, Fleet Manager Capt. Josh Westbrooks and their teams, we are excited to partner with them on this electric fire truck and this future vision for the Queen City.”

The all-electric fire truck will be housed in the city’s first all-electric firehouse, set to open in 2024. Vector is slated to deliver the longest electric pumping duration in the industry, enabling the fire department to accomplish typical driving and pumping tasks exclusively on electrically generated power.

The fire department’s Station 30 will be a three-bay, two-story, all-electric firehouse on a three-acre site across the street from the Police and Fire Training Academy, according to the city, housing Vector, charging apparatus and additional elements to make it a fully electric facility.

Per Spartan Emergency Response, Vector will be similar in design to Charlotte’s current fleet of Smeal fire apparatus, providing the same truck style and working features to which firefighters are accustomed.