Ten Eastern Oregon Fire Departments Awarded New Fire Engines
By Garrett Christensen on Wednesday, April 5th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
EASTERN OREGON – The Oregon State Fire Marshal has announced that 76 Oregon fire departments and rural fire protection districts will receive new engines and tender trucks as part of a 25-million-dollar statewide engine program. Of the total recipients, ten Eastern Oregon departments will receive a new vehicle. The departments and the engine type they have been awarded are:
- Baker City Fire Department: Type 6 engine.
- Enterprise Fire Department: Type 6 engine.
- Powder Rural Fire Department: Type 6 engine.
- Burns Fire Department: Type 3 engine.
- John Day Fire Department: Type 3 engine.
- Umatilla County Fire District 1: Type 3 Engine
- Umatilla Rural Fire Protection District #7-405: Tender.
- Vale Fire and Ambulance: Tender.
- Ontario Rural Fire Protection District: Tender
- Unity-Burnt River Fire & EMS Department: Tender
The Office of the Oregon State Fire Marshal also issued the following statement regarding the engine project:
“‘This investment in the Oregon fire service is critical as the state modernizes equipment and increases firefighting capacity to respond to incidents in our communities,’ Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. ‘Over the last three decades, more communities have been impacted by wildfire. This investment is a major step forward in achieving our mission to protect people, property, and the environment from fire and hazardous materials.’
The OSFM relies on the Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System (OFMAS) when responding to wildfires or other disasters that could impact communities. More than 300 local fire service agencies make up the system across Oregon. These firefighters and equipment are mobilized under the Emergency Conflagration Act, pre-positioning, or immediate response assignments. OFMAS is used when a fire or disaster exceeds the local fire service agency’s capacity.
The OSFM Engine Program is a part of the agency’s Response Ready Oregon initiative, launched in 2021. The initiative is part of a multi-pronged approach to prepare, prevent, and respond to wildfires. The goal of Response Ready Oregon is to attack fires while they are small and keep them away from communities.
Award recipients will enter into a contract with the OSFM to support OFMAS mobilizations, boosting local, regional, and state response. This investment into the Oregon fire service will bring more resources, and the right resources, to a stretched system.
In January 2023, contracts were awarded to Rosenbauer to build the water tenders and type 3 engines. Skeeter was awarded the contract to build the type 6 engines. The OSFM anticipates deliveries to begin in 2023 through the first two quarters of 2024.”
