BLACK FOREST — A frontline fire engine from Black Forest Fire Rescue was pulled from service after being involved in an accident on Oct. 2 in northern Colorado Springs.
The department said it is unable to speak to the condition of the firefighters involved in the accident. However, a Facebook post from the department the following day referred to the crew as "okay."
Black Forest Fire Rescue operates with two frontline engines at each fire station with one reserve apparatus. The reserve engine is approximately two decades old but has been kept up to date and operational.
"We always have depth and contingency plans in place for something like this. We have extra firefighters that can come in and backfill. We have reserve apparatus that can be put into place. There will be no impact on service deliverability secondary to this event," said Cody Poole, a captain with Black Forest Fire Rescue.
The department is currently working to outfit a newer engine it acquired recently.
"The plan moving forward is to move into the new vehicle that we purchased sometime back. It has to go through some of its testing and radio installation and decalling, but the plan going forward is to move from the older reserve apparatus into the newer reserve apparatus," Poole said.
Insurance questions have not yet been finalized, leaving the department uncertain about the full financial impact of the accident.
"The budgetary impacts are not going to impact service delivery by any means. If anything, it would be likely that it would impact some programs," Poole said.
Regardless of whether the engine involved in the accident is ruled a total loss or sent for repairs, Black Forest Fire Rescue is looking at a lengthy replacement timeline.
"Ordering and repairing fire engines does take some time, and it's expensive, but at least a year," Poole said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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