The Cambridge, Massachusetts Fire Department's latest vehicle has entered service - and it's all-electric. Called the HazMat 1, it was built by Rosenbauer, one of the world's leading manufacturers of fire vehicles.
It rides on a 2023 International all-electric eMV medium-duty chassis, which includes a 33,000 lb. GVWR, a direct-drive electric motor with 1,737 lb-ft of torque, and a 135-mile range courtesy of its 210 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. It also boasts an auxiliary system powered by two AGM 12V batteries.
This is state-of-the-art vehicle has a mobile command post with an electronic research library that's fully equipped to support the Cambridge Fire Hazardous Materials Task Force at hazardous material incidents in the city and neighboring communities.
The long list of equipment carried includes:
- A roof-mounted light tower for use during night or low-visibility operations
- Sampling meters & kits to test gaseous, liquid, & solid products
- Radiation meters; personal protective equipment (entry suits, self-contained breathing apparatus, boots, gloves); containment equipment (booms, absorbent materials, drums, patches, plugs, & diking materials)
- Hand tools (non-sparking wrenches, mallets, shovels, brooms, brushes)
- Decontamination equipment
And because not everyone in Cambridge Fire is familiar with battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), the department brought in Navistar's Zero Emissions Customer Onboarding Manager, Joe Jenkins, to help train these individuals.
[Related: Navistar's 2023 Sustainability Report reveals strategic decarbonization focus]
Cambridge Fire Department/LinkedIn
“It was a unique situation because this truck was previously a Rosenbauer tradeshow vehicle,” said Jenkins. “Multiple eMV’s were originally ordered by North Central International, and two ended up with Rosenbauer. The vehicle came to Cambridge Fire fully upfitted and ready to be deployed.”
Department officials believe the HazMat 1 is the first vehicle of its type in New England. It replaced a 25-year-old diesel-powered response vehicle and was purchased with funds allocated by the MA Department of Fire Services.
The department's Fleet Supervisor, Dan Lopez, discovered the vehicle from a listing featured on Rosenbauer's website.
“Hazmat rescue trucks are giant toolboxes with every type of equipment needed, from specialized suits to decontamination equipment,” Lopez explained. “Our city is full of biotech lab and many chemical labs at our major universities such as, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University, and we often have to respond to incidents like chemical spills and exposure.”
Cambridge Fire is familiar with EVs thanks to already having battery-electric Ford pickup trucks and cars in its fleet. To test the new vehicle's battery power, the fire crew took it into Boston this past Independence Day. The crew showed off its many features to the public and left its power on the entire day. It returned that evening with a 70% charge.
