Although most Loveland residents don’t know them by name, they’ve definitely seen their work — fire engines and police cars racing to emergencies, trash trucks collecting garbage, and snowplows during every winter storm.
Behind each vehicle is the city’s team of mechanics responsible for keeping Loveland’s diverse fleet running everyday.
“We help provide the tools for all the other divisions to provide for all the citizens,” said Senior Emergency Vehicle Technician Corey Lane.
The city’s 11 technicians are responsible for a massive fleet of emergency and public works vehicles, including the Loveland Fire Rescue Authority’s firetrucks, the Loveland Police Department’s cruisers and the city of Loveland’s trash trucks, said fleet services manager Gus Brown.
There are 300-400 light duty vehicles in the city’s fleet, which are “regular” cars like SUVs, said Fleet Shop Supervisor Warren Miller, adding that maintenance on these vehicles is only about 20% of what the team does.
But there is nothing regular about most of these cars that are outfitted with unique features, like a K-9 release button in LPD’s K-9 vehicles, Miller said.
Part of maintaining the fleet is emergency repairs, which is often difficult when vehicles that weigh up to 80,000 pounds get stuck on city streets and can’t exactly be towed back to the shop, Miller said. He added that the team is often also having to juggle and prioritize different repairs depending on the situation, and that although it sounds absurd, a trash truck may be serviced before a fire truck if LFRA has a working spare.
“If the trash truck can’t run its route during the day, you have about 1,000 families who are mad,” Miller joked. He said the days before a snowstorm are always busy because it’s important that the team prepares snow plows and ensures that enough trucks will be able to clear streets for safe driving.
Lane said his job keeping the Loveland Fire Rescue Authority’s vehicles running (as well as Berthoud’s and Johnstown’s through an intergovernmental agreement) is particularly challenging because the ability for these departments to do their jobs is reliant on transportation, and can make a lifesaving difference.
Lane said it was fulfilling to see the LFRA truck the team recently serviced respond to the structure fire on Scenic Valley Drive in Loveland on April 28.
“It’s a sense of pride,” he said.
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Miller joked that each technician is a “jack of all trades, but master of none” because of the wide array of vehicles and equipment in the city’s fleet.
“Sometimes you have to spend a minute just figuring out how to get it to operate just to get it back to the shop,” Miller laughed.
But in all seriousness, Miller said part of what makes Loveland’s team impressive is their ability to problem solve and understand the fundamentals of how and why equipment operates and is constructed the way it is.
New hires take a mechanical aptitude assessment that tests their knowledge on electrical concepts, mechanics, physics, and more, Miller said.
“If you weren’t given the talent of mechanical aptitude it’s going to be really hard to work on some of the stuff that we work on,” Miller said.
Miller has worked with the city’s fleet for nearly 35 years, while Lane and Brown have spent nearly 32 years with the fleet. A lot has changed since they all started.
When Miller first started working for the city in the 90s, he said he helped plow city streets part time during snowstorms.
“All the controls were mechanical levers between the streets, now it's all run by computers," Miller said.
Fleet Master Technician Carl Stilo said he never thought about having the job of a mechanic working on firetrucks and other public works vehicles, but now that now that he does, he loves it, even when it requires him to crawl inside of tiny engine spaces.
“It’s not too bad,” Stilo joked.
Similarly, Lane said the opportunity to work on unique vehicles, like the fire department’s ladder and airport trucks is fun, but that the chance to keep Loveland running is why he’s spent over 30 years with the city.
“You get a sense of accomplishment working for your community,” Lane said.
