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July 3, 2023

Madison’s Electric Fire Truck Was First in the Nation 🚒

City Cast Madison

Madison’s Electric Fire Truck Was First in the Nation 🚒

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Electric fire trucks are popping up across the country. Portland, Oregon just got one. Boulder, Colorado is buying one. St. Paul’s got one on order. And of course, Los Angeles got in early. But Madison was first, baby. 


Madison was the first city in the nation to put an electric fire truck in service. The truck - which was designed in Wisconsin - saved 60,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in its first year of operation. And Madison firefighters are helping design the next generation of electric vehicles for the country, as cities look to transition their fleet away from diesel-guzzlers. We catch up with Scott Bavery, Dan Belovarac and Josh Balli from the Madison Fire Department to learn how they did it.


Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Twitter and Instagram


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