Quebec’s fire trucks may soon change their looks! In March, a fully electric truck was in Longueuil, near Montreal. Several firefighters were able to board. Now it’s your turn to find out… in photos!
It is called the Revolutionary Technology pumper. This vehicle was built in Austria, a European country, by the manufacturer Rosenbauer.
Smaller…but just as full! The company assures that this truck carries as much equipment as its diesel-powered equivalent. With only four wheels, this vehicle weaves through traffic more easily and can spin faster.
In the photo, we see firefighter Éric Chagnon in the cabin. The interior of the truck is spacious enough to serve as a meeting room for firefighters. This could avoid moving a second vehicle serving as a command post.
Another positive: the electric motor is so quiet that firefighters won’t need to raise their voices to talk to each other. “It’s a little unsettling, there’s almost no noise!” exclaims Éric Chagnon. Of course, there will always be the famous sound of the siren…pin-pon pin-pon!
All appliances and equipment in the truck run on electricity, including the pump. The fire pump is used to put the water under pressure, to produce a powerful jet at the end of the hose. It can be controlled remotely by an electronic tablet.
To prevent the truck from breaking down, there is also a generator on board. It is a machine that can produce electricity and recharge the vehicle battery, if necessary. The generator is the only equipment on the truck that runs on diesel. Luckily, the fire departments that used the truck very rarely needed it!
In Canada, only the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, has a fire truck like this. Two other cities have also ordered one: the city of Victoria, also in British Columbia, and the city of Brampton, Ontario.
Throughout its stay in Quebec, around 30 fire department representatives tested the truck. They will then have to decide if they want to buy this electric truck.
In any case, even if this truck is red, it is also green: that is to say good for the environment, because it pollutes a lot less!
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A very sad event happened at the end of March. At the border between Quebec and the United States, eight people drowned in the St. Lawrence River. We explain to you what happened.
The tragedy occurred on March 30, 130 km southwest of Montreal, about an hour and a half by road.
The victims were found in waters that are part of Akwesasne Indigenous Territory. This territory is so large that it extends to both Canada and the United States. The victims were on the Canadian side.
When the Mohawk Native Police found the victims, many had no life jackets.
Near the scene, the police also found a small boat that is normally used for fishing. It is a boat and therefore not suitable for transporting so many people on large waves.
There was a family of two adults and two children who were originally from Romania, Europe. There was also a family from India, Asia, consisting of four adults.
There is a ninth person who is still missing. He is a man of Mohawk origin, who lives in Akwesasne. The search continues to find him. Police have claimed he is linked to the drama.
Police confirmed that the eight victims were migrants, trying to get to the United States.
According to the United Nations, a migrant is anyone who has left their country to live in a foreign country for more than a year, whether voluntarily or involuntarily.
The reasons that push people to migrate can be very varied. For example, there are people who will flee a war or a natural disaster, others who are threatened in their country because of their opinions or who go in search of a better job.
This shocking event is a reminder that many people put their lives in danger to cross borders. They often do so hoping for a better future, despite all the risks.
The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, said on Sunday that “everything must be done to avoid these tragedies.”
He added that the government encourages people seeking refuge in Canada to do so on a “regular basis”, i.e. through customs or by making formal immigration applications.
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