Fire trucks are iconically red, but two of Rochester's newest fire apparatuses are helping the city go green.
The Rochester Fire Department recently retired two vehicles and replaced them with truck 42 and engine 5. These vehicles have new technology to be more environmentally friendly.
"We get on a scene whether on a highway or at a house. We're double-parked. We're a traffic hazard," explains Fire Chief Eric Kerska. "We leave the lights on. We're required by law to have the emergency lights on. They take a lot of battery power."
An analysis found RFD's average call lasts roughly 20 minutes. During the majority of that call, the apparatuses sit idling, wasting fuel. Conventional batteries don't solve the problem, because they don't allow emergency lights and climate control to stay on.
RFD emergency vehicle technician Jeremy Leisenheimer looked a the problem and brainstormed a new concept.