Six new fire engines will be showcased next week during a dedication ceremony in Stockton, according to local officials.
The Stockton Fire Department and city officials will host the event at noon on Thursday, Oct. 12, at the Weber Point Events Center at 221 North Center Street.
Fire equipment must be custom-built for every department in order to match the connections and fittings of gear already in use, so the Stockton Fire Department had the engines ordered in 2021.
Pierce Manufacturing in Wisconsin built them, and then they were shipped to Golden State Fire Apparatus of Sacramento for final finishings and were recently delivered to Stockton.
“The Stockton Fire Department is one of the busiest fire departments in the nation,” Stockton Fire Chief Rick Edwards said in a statement. “Our fire apparatus has logged a lot of hours and much of the fleet is well past its prime. It takes a couple of years to replace aging equipment, and we are eager to put all these new engines into service for the community.”
Stockton City Manager Harry Black said the American Rescue Plan Act funding that the city received helped replace several fire engines that were experiencing mechanical failures.
The Oct. 12 event will be open to the community.
Victoria Franco is a reporter based in Stockton covering San Joaquin County for Bay City News Foundation and its nonprofit news site Local News Matters. She is a Report for America corps member.
