Firefighters Are Green With Two Brand-New Rivian Trucks

Oct. 09, 2022 11:24 AM ET by Gerhard Horn Electric Vehicles / 1 Comment

Let the jokes about EV fires begin.

The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (CCCFPD) recently took delivery of two brand-new R1T fire trucks. This department is responsible for an area in California that's 304 square miles large, which obviously limits the jobs the two trucks can do.

Rivian's range claims are impressive, but to cover an area that large, you still need some ICE vehicles. There's no doubt there's a host of people moaning about this very topic in the comments section on social media, but since you're here, we can tell you that the Rivian duo will be limited to the training division and the fire prevention bureau.

Not every vehicle in a fire department's fleet is used to combat fires, just like not every vehicle the military buys will see active combat.

Con Fire took delivery of two electric trucks from @Rivian today, the first green vehicles in our fleet. They will be utilized in our training division and fire prevention bureau. We are committed to preserving life, property and the environment for the communities we serve. pic.twitter.com/f8EOskCGOO
— Con Fire PIO (@ContraCostaFire) October 5, 2022

"We are committed to preserving life, property, and the environment for the communities we serve," CCCFPD stated on its Twitter feed.

We did some reading on the Fire Prevention Bureaus, and its job consists of five main tasks. It inspects and enforces fire codes, reviews engineering plans, investigates fires, controls fire risks at outside events, and educates the public on fire safety. The Rivian R1T is perfect for all these situations.

As you can see in the images above, the R1T can carry everything a fireperson might need for demonstration purposes. The innovative gear tunnel can also store more kit, and it provides an excellent perch from which a fireperson can educate a crowd.

The CCCFPD's training division prepares a fireperson for everything they might face on the job, including both fire and non-fire-related incidents. The curriculum includes emergency medical services, rope rescue, respiratory protection, and driver training.

The R1Ts the CCCFPD went for have the quad-motor setup, producing 835 horsepower. If you can handle it, every other vehicle (apart from the firetrucks, obviously) will feel tame by comparison.

Cars like the R1T have proven to be mighty useful once the power goes out. A surgeon recently performed a Rivian-powered vasectomy. The battery pack is also strong enough to power several useful tools, including those needed to cut a person out of a wreck.

This is the latest example of a government institution going the EV route, which is all part of a plan set out by President Biden shortly after he was elected.

Other examples include the NYPD buying a fleet of Ford Mustang Mach-Es, and on a federal level, the United States Postal Service ordered 25,000 EV delivery trucks. A recent study showed that most workhorses could easily be replaced with EV trucks.

The only segment that will not be going EV anytime soon is heavy-duty trucks like the recently launched Ford Super Duty.