First responders roll out new, sustainable fleet

Four-wheel drive vehicles can get there fast, even in inclement weather

By Christina Lent

The Beaverton Valley Times, May 6, 2010 (5 Reader comments)

Jaime Valdez / Times Newspapers

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue’s new FJ Cruisers provide paramedic Steve Heisel with the same access to computerized maps and 911 data as larger rigs in the fleet.

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue is ready to roll out a new fleet of emergency response vehicles.

Four specially equipped Toyota FJ Cruisers will hit the road Friday to respond to certain medical calls and emergency situations that don’t require a traditional fire engine and four-person crew.

Driven by an experienced paramedic, these four-wheel drive vehicles will have the added bonus of being better able to navigate congested streets and access off-road emergencies while handling icy, muddy, slick or other conditions caused by the region’s inclement weather.

The FJ Cruisers join three licensed ambulance units in allowing the fire district to deploy “the right resources with the right staffing when calls come in,” said Assistant Chief Dustin Morrow.

The fire district responds to more than 30,000 incidents a year. About 80 percent of those 911 calls are medical emergencies and requests for public assistance while 8 percent are fire related.

“The fire service as an industry is changing a great deal,” Morrow said. “It doesn’t make sense to keep doing business the way we have done in the past.

“As we continue to grow as an agency both in size and call volume, we need to continually evolve and ensure we’re addressing the problems at hand.”

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