- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Lakeport Fire debuts new wildland fire engine
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lakeport Fire Protection District has added to its fleet the first new fire engine in nearly a decade.
The district took delivery of the truck – a type three engine used primarily for fires in wildland areas – on Saturday, according to Chief Doug Hutchison.
Hutchison said the district was notified on July 4 that it had received an Assistance to Firefighters grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The federal grant is for approximately $296,852 and required a 5-percent match, which came out to $15,623 for the district, for a total of $312,475, he said.
The grant amount covers not just the new engine but also the equipment needed to outfit it, Hutchison said. The equipment alone is estimated at $26,000.
Hutchison – who took over as chief in June – said the grant was submitted before he arrived, under the leadership of his predecessor, retired Chief Ken Wells.
After receiving word that it had the grant, the district went out to bid for a new truck, Hutchison said.
Four companies submitted bids, proposing six different trucks, three of which were demonstration models, he said.
The district ultimately purchased the truck offered in the lowest bid, which Hutchison said came from Hi-TECH Fire Apparatus Inc. of Oakdale.
Hutchison said the truck – which has an eight-cylinder, 330-horsepower engine – was built by Crimson Fire Inc., a custom fire truck manufacturing company based in Brandon, South Dakota. Hi-TECH Fire Apparatus is one of Crimson Fire's two California dealers.
Hutchison said the 2012 truck was being used as a demonstration model, and therefore hadn't been used on incidents. It has about 9,000 highway miles on it, meets all Cal Fire specifications and has a 10-year warranty.
The engine is the tallest of the district's fire trucks, and barely fits into the bay, said Hutchison.
He's driven the truck, which he said has a quiet ride, with a roomy five-person cab. “You feel like you're sitting way up in the air.”
The new engine will be the district's only type three vehicle. Hutchison said it will replace a 1975 International truck.
Including the shiny new truck, the district has a total of 13 pieces of equipment, including its engines, water tender, ladder truck and five ambulances, Hutchison said.
Looking at the new truck, Hutchison added, “This is people's tax money at work.”
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