TOLEDO, Ohio — Slow down, pay attention and look for the flashing lights. That's the strong message the Toledo Fire & Rescue Department has for drivers after several of their vehicles were involved in major crashes.
A deadly crash involving a Toledo fire truck was caught on camera at the corner of Auburn Avenue and Monroe Street back in late June. The 43-year-old driver of the SUV that hit the truck died.
In mid-June, an engine was hit on South Detroit Avenue, causing $50,000 in repairs.
The latest crash happened at 4 a.m. Sunday at Fearing Boulevard and Hill Avenue. An ambulance was hit head-on by another driver and the driver was cited for failure to yield.
"Having these three rigs out of service for a period of time is going to impact how we operate and what we have available," said TFRD spokesperson Pvt. Sterling Rahe. "We'll continue to respond without a doubt, but it will limit our resources."
The department currently has five backup engines, four backup ambulances, two backup ladder trucks and a backup heavy rescue.
But scheduled repairs on top of unscheduled repairs mean the department may become short on backup rigs, which are also older and don't have the same up-to-date safety standards.
"Think about if these were your loved ones that we're responding to at your house that we're responding to that's on fire," Rahe said. "We want to get there as quickly as we can, if you can get out of the way, that helps us."
One fire truck will be out of commission from six months to a year as it gets fixed. Thankfully, no firefighters were hurt in any of the crashes.
Repair costs come out of the fire department's general budget.