- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Federal grant to fund new Northshore Fire water tender truck
LUCERNE, Calif. – Northshore Fire Protection District has received a federal grant to purchase a much-needed new water tender.
Chief Jay Beristianos said the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Assistance to Firefighters Grants program will provide $194,072 to the district for the new equipment.
The total vehicle acquisition cost was required to be $203,775 with a $9,703 match, Beristianos said.
He estimated that the district likely will spend closer to $230,000 on the vehicle it wants to buy.
Water tenders are tank trucks that bring water to locations outside of areas where there are hydrants or other water sources – which is a description that fits a lot of Northshore Fire's large coverage area, Beristianos said.
Northshore Fire has two water tenders in service at present, Beristianos said.
Beristianos said they include water tender 7511, based in Clearlake Oaks, which is a 2010 model with between 10,000 and 12,000 miles, and water tender 9011, a 1989 model with about 600,000 miles that's based in Upper Lake.
“This will replace the one in Upper Lake,” he said.
The grant came through the efforts of the district's now-retired deputy chief, Pat Brown, who said it took eight years of trying to secure the grant.
Brown said he wrote the successful grant last year.
Brown and Beristianos both reported that the US Department of Agriculture previously has awarded the agency grants for equipment upgrades, with the Clearlake Oaks water tender having been purchased with those funds.
The current water tender 9011 is a manual transmission, which has resulted in Northshore Fire having a limited number of drivers that can operate the vehicle, Beristianos said.
Driving the water tender requires adherence to a strict program meant to ensure driver safety. It includes special licensing and testing, and experience in handling the vehicle, which he said is very top heavy, a concern because many vehicle accidents involving firefighters involve rollovers.
The new water tender will be an automatic, which Beristianos said will increase driver availability and take the guesswork out of driving the vehicle.
Beristianos said they are in the process of gathering bids for the new vehicle.
He said district staffers are doing a lot of research to ensure that they get just the right truck – and the highest quality equipment – for their needs, and one will stand up to the years of service ahead.
“If we're going to spend this kind of money it's going to last for many, many years,” he said.
Beristianos estimated that a new vehicle could be in place within the next six months.
Added Brown, “I'm sure NFPD will have it flying to calls in no time.”
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