Gabriola Fire Apparatus
Gabriola Volunteer Fire Department maintains a fleet of emergency response vehicles to the highest standards.
Vehicles based at Fire Hall Number 1
Gabriola Number 1
Truck 1 currently serves as a backup engine, and RIT( Rapid Intervention Team) pumper. This means that on the fire ground, this truck stands by for RIT, and can offer a standalone water supply that is separate from the attack crew’s pumper. The RIT team plays a vital role on the fireground, as they stay ready to respond to May-Day calls from their fellow firefighters on scene.
This truck has a 1000 Gallon tank and 1050 gallon per minute pump.
A new Gabriola 1 is in the process of being manufactured for our department, with expected delivery in early 2021.
Gabriola Number 4
The primary focus of this truck is wildland fires, its smaller size and off road handling are just what we need to get to and suppress a small fire in areas like the 707 Park. It has 300 gallons of water on board, and is equipped with a pump and compressed air foam (CAF). In extreme summer weather, you may see the duty officer driving this vehicle instead of Gabriola 7.
In winter, you’ll see this truck with a snow plow mounted on the front. We use it to keep the fire hall property free of snow, allowing our trucks to respond quickly and safely. We also use it to clear the streets where our firefighters live, to ensure that they can respond to calls in all kinds of weather.
Gabriola Number 5
Serving as our front line pumper truck, Number 5 is almost always the first truck to leave the hall.
It holds 2000 gallons of water, has a pump that can supply 1050 gallons of water per minute, with compressed air foam (CAF) capability.
It carries over 1200 feet of supply hose, over 800 feet of attack line, 3 ladders, self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBAs) and spare air bottles, 3 thermal imaging cameras (TIC), medical supplies, chain saws, various rescue gear, and an arsenal of specialty firefighting and auto-extrication tools.
Gabriola Number 6
Serving as our Incident Command vehicle, the person behind the wheel is typically the Fire Chief, or an experienced Officer, who will take command and direct operations on the fire ground or any emergency that may arise.
Usually, it's the first vehicle on scene as it is always manned to respond within 2 minutes of a page out for the department.
Number 6 carries medical supplies, a thermal imaging camera, chainsaw and other specialized equipment that varies depending on the time of year.
