New Eagan fire truck sports green features
The Eagan Fire Department put into service a 2012 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid for its fire marshal thanks to a $36,000 donation from Gopher Resources, an Eagan-based recycling company. - Photo submitted
Though it’s painted red, Eagan’s latest fire truck bears a new color — green.
The fire department put into service this month a hybrid pickup truck thanks to a $36,000 donation from Gopher Resources, an Eagan-based recycling company.
“It’s nice to get a hybrid — at no cost to the taxpayers — to see if it’s the right direction,” Fire Chief Mike Scott said.
The full-size 2012 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid serves as the Eagan fire marshal’s response vehicle, which carries the department’s fire investigation tools. It also features rear passenger seats to provide a place for witnesses to sit during on-scene interviews.
Though he does not have exact estimates, Scott predicts the hybrid will save the department on fuel costs.
Last year, the department spent $24,000 on fuel due to rising gas prices.
“Anything we can do to keep the cost down is good,” Scott said.
At 20 miles per gallon, the department’s Silverado Hybrid has nearly twice the fuel efficiency as the Dodge Dakota it replaced. But at $36,000, the hybrid’s purchase price is $10,000 more than a standard truck.
Earlier this year, the fire department applied for federal funding for a new emergency response vehicle but was denied.
Representatives at Gopher Resources became aware of the department’s desire to go green while visiting Eagan’s Fire Safety Center during its open house.
The center is the nation’s first Green Globes certified fire station and features several green features.
Upon hearing the department’s struggle to obtain funding for a hybrid vehicle, Gopher Resources stepped in to help.
The truck isn’t Eagan’s first hybrid in the city’s fleet. Its police, water utilities and code enforcement departments each have one hybrid vehicle.
Scott said the fire department, which keeps its vehicles for approximately 10 years, will look at purchasing more hybrids if the Silverado proves to be cost effective.
