City VFD adds Suburban to fleet

By Lynsi Musselman

The City of Albany Volunteer Fire Department has a new Suburban to add to its fleet of emergency vehicles.

AVFD Fire Chief Kyle Tischler said the Suburban purchased two weeks ago was paid for with donated funds accumulated over several years.

“The department’s old Suburban from the 90s broke down three years ago,” Tischler reported. “We have been without this important versatile utility vehicle ever since.”

The Suburban called ‘Rescue 1’ will be used to haul personnel to fires and trainings.

“Most of our engines are only two seaters,” Tischler explained. “The Suburban can take several firefighters, along with food and supplies, out to a scene without having multiple vehicles. And it cuts down on the volunteers using their personal vehicles to get to trainings.”

Tischler said the Suburban will also be used for incident command, which helps emergency scene operations run more effectively and prevents independent operations that could compromise responder safety.

“There are ‘Rescue 1’ decals on the side of the Suburban so firefighters can easily recognize the vehicle as the command unit,” Tischler explained. 

He said the Suburban received its tags just in time to respond to the fires Aug. 29-30.