Albuquerque Fire Rescue

Last week Engine 4, currently operating in a reserve rig and formerly Engine 1,
lost power steering after clearing a call.

Driver Martinez tilted the cab and found a blown power steering hose. A call was placed to AFR’s after-hours, on-call mechanic, who responded to diagnose and repair the failure.

Technician Zamora arrived, removed the damaged hose, and headed to AFR’s Fleet Services shop to build a new line. He returned, installed the new hose, topped off the fluid, and had Engine 4 back in service quickly, and with a great attitude throughout the entire repair.

This is the kind of work that often isn’t seen, but it is absolutely essential to keeping this department in service.

AFR’s Fleet Services Division keeps this department running. They are the people working at all hours, to make sure our crews have the equipment they need to answer calls for service.

A huge thank-you to all of AFR’s Emergency Vehicle Technicians and Fleet Services personnel for the work you do every day.

Great job, Tech Zamora, and thank you for keeping Engine 4 rolling!

Friday Fleet Update!

Albuquerque Fire Rescue is proud to announce that 3 new engines are nearing completion.

The new Pierce Enforcer engines have come full circle with a design that pays tribute to our pumpers from the early 2000s. Low hose beds, T-shaped tailboards, ladder racks, and booster reels are all making a return. Countless hours have gone into developing this new specification, and the Apparatus Committee is excited to see these trucks completed and placed into service at Engine 10, Engine 18 and Engine 20.

If all goes as planned, we expect to push these trucks into service in December. Final inspection is scheduled for the end of October.

Albuquerque Fire Rescue congratulates Driver Diane Burns on her retirement after nearly 30 years of service to Albuquerque.

Diane began her career with Albuquerque Fire in 1997 as a member of the mighty 58th Cadet Class. After the academy, she was assigned to Station 13. She promoted to the rank of Driver in 2006, serving at Engine 14.

After driving at 14s she took an assignment at the busiest station in Albuquerque, AFR’s Alarm Room. Diane’s son is also currently assigned to the Alarm Room at the rank of Driver.

Diane then transferred to the Fire Marshal’s Office where she spent the next 17 years of her career. Driver Burns has worked her final shift as an Inspector in AFR’s Fire Marshal’s Office.

Diane will leave the department at #4 on the overall seniority list and #2 among Drivers, an impressive accomplishment and a testament to her commitment to the department and the Albuquerque community. She has been a trailblazer in Albuquerque Fire and even made history as part of AFR’s first all female crew, for a day shift, last September at Engine 15-B.

After retirement, Diane is looking forward to the next chapter: traveling, playing more golf, staying healthy and active, and spending time with family.

With almost 30 years of service under her belt, Diane will miss the people, but not the work.

“I have been incredibly fortunate to have worked alongside of so many great men and women. Thank you for the friendships, support, laughs, challenges & memories along the way. You all have truly been a big part of my journey. Take care of yourselves, keep doing what you do and I’ll see you around, just hopefully not at work. Cheers to retirement and to all of you!”

Congratulations on your retirement, Driver Burns! And thank you for your service. 29 years of dedicated service is a legacy to be proud of.

Good luck and Godspeed.

Commercial Structure Fire:

On September 17th at 1309 Albuquerque Fire Rescue was dispatched to DOA Automotive located at 1520 Central SE for a vehicle fire inside a structure. AFR dispatched a commercial structure fire response. Rescue 3 arrived on scene and reported smoke coming from the structure and a vehicle on fire inside the garage. Engine 3 arrived and stretched a line for fire control. Rescue 2 went in for search.

The fire was brought under control within 16 minutes of arrival. There was no damage to the structure and the fire was contained to the engine compartment of the involved vehicle.

No injuries of civilians or firefighters was reported. The cause of the fire was accidental. No additional information available at this time.

Preparing Aerial Ladders for Annual Testing:

Each November, every front-line and reserve aerial ladder at Albuquerque Fire Rescue undergoes rigorous third-party UL testing. This evaluation checks structural integrity, hydraulic systems, waterways, and more going beyond standard industry requirements to keep AFR crews and the community safe.

To minimize any out-of-service time, AFR’s ladder companies perform thorough in-house inspections beforehand. They carefully check the aerial device, waterway, outriggers, safety equipment, and overall condition, document everything, and fix issues early so the apparatus is ready when the official inspectors arrive.

Yesterday, Station 9-A put their ladder through this pre-inspection process ahead of its upcoming UL test. Ladder 9 is a 2021 Pierce Velocity, 105HD. Like all AFR truck companies it is a true truck, meaning it has no tank or water pump.

Proactive maintenance like this helps AFR stay ahead of this testing and minimizes out of service time for the aerial fleet.

Thank you to everyone for following along!

This page had 21,000 followers in April of 2023. That number has now surpassed 62,000.

We are grateful for the support and grateful for the opportunity to tell these stories.

Our approach has been simple; be there to tell the story of Albuquerque Fire Rescue and the work AFR performs through photographs, videos, on scene reports and department updates.

Thanks again to everyone who follows the page, shares our posts, comments (even the negative ones) and takes the time to see what Albuquerque Fire Rescue firefighters are doing.

We will keep showing up to tell the story.

Albuquerque Fire Rescue Wildland Division Update:

Albuquerque Fire Rescue deployed Brush 16 to the Corralitos Fire with the New Mexico State Forestry Las Vegas District on Thursday, September 10th. The crew is supporting initial attack operations as the district’s only Type 6 resource by patrolling the area, maintaining readiness, and responding to new fire starts.

Brush 16 crew consists of three personnel. Eric De La Torre is serving as an Engine Boss trainee under David Lawrence Cruz, while Firefighter Richard Marquez is gaining additional wildfire experience as a Wildland Firefighter Type 1 trainee.

During the deployment, Brush 16 has assisted with two lightning-caused fires. The crew is also gaining valuable wildfire experience and strengthening partnerships with local and state agencies.

Albuquerque Fire Rescue is proud of Brush 16’s professional representation of the department and its continued support of state and local partners. The experience and lessons gained during this assignment will help strengthen Albuquerque Fire Rescue’s future wildfire response capabilities.