SAN MARCOS, Texas — To improve roadside safety for first responders, the San Marcos Fire Department has introduced a new blocker truck to its fleet.
The repurposed, retired ladder truck is equipped with high-visibility barricade striping, flashing directional lights and electronic message boards to help direct traffic away from emergency scenes, KVUE reported.
| READ NEXT: Blocking apparatus: Are attenuating units the next must-have apparatus type?
“Twenty-five percent of all firefighter line-of-duty deaths occur in that category. Either responding to, returning from, or operating on roadway incidents and the highway,” San Marcos Fire Chief Les Stephens said. “This truck is a giant billboard to send one consistent message of the direction we want you to go to avoid the accident, to go around us safely.”
Previously, the department used two frontline fire engines for highway incidents: one for emergency response and the other to block traffic, which took a crew out of service and risked long-term downtime if a fire engine was hit.
“If this truck gets hit, we wouldn’t try to repair it to like new condition like we would a brand new engine or ladder truck. We would only repair it to the extent necessary to reuse it and put it back out there again,” Stephens said. “If this truck gets hit, it’s likely saved someone from being injured or killed, so that’s OK.”
The blocker truck cost just over $100,000 to modify, which is significantly less than the estimated $1.25 million for a frontline fire engine. Because it is not a critical response unit, it will not impact emergency operations if damaged, making it a cost-effective safety solution.
“It’s designed to be expendable. It’s designed to be sacrificed in the event that someone is distracted, doesn’t understand what’s happening ahead of them, and does run into it,” Stephens said. “If they do strike the vehicle, it’s served its purpose. It’s protecting our people, it’s made sure they made it home to their families.
