Mich. department testing 'quick-response' fire trucks amid budget cuts

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Officials have approved a Mich. fire department's plan to test three quick-response units amid looming budget cuts.

The pickup trucks with extended cabs and boxes on the back can be operated by only two firefighters, and Fire Chief Laura Knapp of the Grand Rapids Fire Department hopes they will help generate $21 million in savings and maintain service in the event of staff reductions, according to the Grand Rapids Press.

The city wants the department to reduce fire spending by 10 percent in the next three years.

"We need to better align our resources with these single-unit calls to ensure our performance is maintained," Chief Knapp told the Grand Rapids Press. "Right now we don't have a lot of flexibility in our deployment. The [quick-response vehicle] is the answer for our current rigid operational system."

"These vehicles are more nimble," Third Ward Commissioner James B. White said. "They will handle all three kinds of calls" — fire response, medical assistance and vehicle-accident response.

"We have some inherent questions about the technology, but it's something that the chief would like to have for her transformation process," said William E. Smith, president of the firefighters' union.