By Bowdeya Tweh
Detroit Free Press

DETROIT — Twelve new fire engines for the City of Detroit were unveiled Tuesday by Fire Commissioner Tyrone Scott.

The engines, which cost $4.5 million, will replace the 12 oldest rigs in the fleet.

The engines should be ready for service on the streets in the next few days, said James Canning, a spokesman for Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

Firefighters must first undergo driver training to become acclimated to operating the engines' equipment and systems, Canning said.

The order for the engines was placed more than seven months ago, according to a news release. The money is part of the 2006-2007 budget.

Canning said 36 to 38 fire engines are available on any given day. The rollout of new engines is a part of the city's program to rotate out older equipment and usher in new equipment.

The city also recently bought 16 new emergency medical service (EMS) vehicles for $1.5 million to replace the oldest ones in the fleet.

Canning said the city bought the equipment from Pierce, a manufacturing company based in Appleton, Wis.

Though it varies, the average life of a fire engine is around eight years and it's about 10 years for a ladder truck, Canning said. After the vehicles are actively used, they will spend two years in the city's reserve fleet, Canning said.

Copyright 2007 Detroit Free Press
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News