In June, Naval Station Rota's Fire and Emergency Services Department received a new fire truck, and after inspection and upgrades, became operational and ready for active service Oct. 17.

Naval Station Rota was one of five locations which received a new model fire truck by Commander, Navy Installations Command.

John Lewis, Fire and Emergency Services assistant chief of operations, said the benefit of having a fire truck with a ladder is important for the Rota community, now that the installation has opened the new air traffic control tower and is building an addition to the base Navy Gateway Inns and Suites -- both of which are multiple stories tall.

The 2015 model fire truck, with its 75-foot ladder is capable of providing multiple functions which once took three different specialized vehicles to resolve.

"We used to have a pumper, rescue truck, and a command vehicle at every accident," said Lewis. "Now I can take one truck and make it a rescue, command vehicle, or a pump."

The ladder truck is the newest addition to the department's emergency vehicles since 2013, and is the only emergency vehicle with a ladder.

"Right now we've got a pretty robust fleet," said Lewis, "and adding that to it just made us even better."

All team members received training on the new vehicle from a representative of the company that designed the truck. They flew to Spain from the United States to train the department on certain procedures and how to troubleshoot problems.

The department's main focus is on meeting the needs of the base. They will respond to emergencies outside the gate only if on-base emergency response coverage is still within satisfactory levels.

"Our main focus here is covering the base, the flight line, and the structural side of the base," said Alejandro Menendez, a department fire captain. "If that's covered, then we go out in town; but first we cover the base."

The new fire truck may look too large to drive through Rota, but if emergencies arise it is possible to navigate the narrow streets, if necessary.

"In town, you can go up to higher buildings and rescue people from windows," said Menendez. "You can reach further because you're increasing the height where you can shoot from the end of the ladder."

Lewis said the team is excited about the new fire truck, as firefighters love new equipment and the truck is a good resource for the installation.

"It's a new truck," said Lewis, "It's not old; it's brand new coming off the shelf. It benefits us. It's one more resource we need as firefighters to protect this community, and that's our goal 100 percent of the time -- to take care of the community."

Naval Station Rota enables and supports operations of U.S. and allied forces and provides quality services in support of the fleet, fighter, and family for Commander, Navy Installations Command in Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Naval Station Rota, Spain, visit http://www.navy.mil/.