Eastmark home to Mesa’s first all-electric fire truck

By Richard Dyer
Mail | X: @RHDyer

It makes sense the housing development Eastmark would be home to the city of Mesa’s first all-electric fire truck, two local residents said during and after a ceremony placing the vehicle into service.

The $1.4 million truck was purchased in 2021 from H&E Equipment Services LLC/E-One. It was funded by the 2018 public safety bonds and capital general fund and is stationed at Fire Station 221, 9320 E. Point Twenty-Two Blvd.

Mesa Councilor Scott Somers, who is an Eastmark resident and a firefighter, said he spent more than two decades as an engineer driving diesel-powered fire trucks.

“And it’s only fitting that something so innovative is to be first adopted here in Eastmark because we are literally standing on what used to be GM Proving Grounds. General Motors used to prove innovative vehicle technologies here on this location and that’s become Eastmark,” he said during the Jan. 4 ceremony.

“It makes a lot of sense, like Councilmember Somers said, that Eastmark would have something like this and be one of the first — if not the first — in the state to have an electric vehicle as a fire truck. Eastmark’s always been about innovation. It’s always been very intentional in the way that the community has done things, so to me it just makes sense,” David Giarrizzo, a 10-year resident of Eastmark, said after the ceremony.

Giarrizzo attended the all-electric fire truck ceremony with his children, Athan, 6; Tatum, 6; and Roman, 3, “just to see the new fire truck in the neighborhood,” Giarrizzo said.

“We didn’t come to the grand opening (of the fire station), but we’ve watched it get built as we’ve driven by. I’ve taken a tour of it and met some of the firefighters who work here. Really appreciative of all their efforts here in the community,” he said.

Mesa’s new all-electric fire truck was unveiled and officially put into service during a brief program Jan. 4.

The truck was manufactured by Ocala, Florida-based E-One, a fire apparatus manufacturer that makes emergency vehicles, rescue trucks, aerial fire trucks, rescue pumpers and custom fire apparatus and has produced more than 28,000 vehicles delivered around the world, according to the company’s website.

The fire truck has low to no carbon emissions, less noise pollution, range extension for prolonged power needs and lifelong batteries. It can pump four hose lines at 750 gallons per minute for four hours on a single charge — allowing for continuous emergency response when needed, according to the city of Mesa.

Mesa Fire and Medical Chief Mary Cameli speaks Jan. 4 at a ceremony marking the first use of an all-electric fire truck in the front of Fire Station 221, 9320 E. Point Twenty-Two Blvd. in Mesa.

Independent Newsmedia, Richard H. Dyer

“We are absolutely taking a unique step forward in innovation and improving the health of our members as well as improving the level of risk in the community by having the electric fire truck that has no fumes coming out of it, as you can tell,” Mesa Fire and Medical Chief Mary Cameli said at the ceremony on the front driveway to the fire station.

Firefighters regularly are exposed to harmful chemicals, smoke, soot and gases at fire calls, she said.

“We want to do all we can to reduce the exposure, moving forward, and this truck is leading us in that direction. This electric fire truck has zero emissions and that means a lot because when we are on the scene who this impacts the most are those who are riding these trucks,” Chief Cameli said.

Station 221, which opened in 2021, is equipped with an electrical charger capable of fully recharging the fire truck in approximately 3.5 hours. Salt River Project is expected to provide a $30,000 rebate to help offset the cost of the fire truck and installation of the electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The EV charger system is suspended from the firehouse ceiling to enhance safety, according to the city of Mesa.

Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley

rdyer@iniusa.org

Meet Richard
Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.  

Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions. 

Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.

Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.

Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.