PORT ANGELES — Clallam County Fire District No. 2 received a new brush engine designed to fight fires in wildland urban interface areas surrounding Port Angeles.
The 2017 Ford F-550 chasiss engine can carry 19,500 pounds including a crew of five firefighters, hand tools, equipment and more than 1,000 feet of fire hose.
“This brush engine will replace a 30-year-old engine in our fleet and with the additional seating for firefighters, we will be better able to serve the public by more than doubling our response capabilities,” said Fire Chief Sam Phillips.
The fire district purchased the fire engine for $134,300 with existing capital funds budgeted last year without any additional voter-approved levy or bonds, according to Phillips.
Cascade Fire & Safety based in Yakima built the brush engine.
“This is one portion of our fleet-replacement program which the [fire district] commissioners approved in 2015,” Phillips said.
Cascade safety delivered the engine Oct. 31, and the fire district began training its firefighters on the truck’s capabilities and potential uses shortly after, according to a press release.
The four-wheel drive fire engine has a wheel base of 179 inches and six all-terrain tires that allow it to use roads often found in rural or forest settings.
It sports a 400-gallon water tank with a pump capable of producing 150 gallons per minute at 90 pounds per square inch and also features a built-in firefighting foam system.
A winch capable of pulling 12,000 pounds is anchored to the front of the truck’s frame to clear downed trees, vehicles or debris from roadways.
The truck has a 40-gallon fuel tank ranging up to 500 miles of travel.
Operators can monitor water tank levels from inside or outside the cab via LED displays.
Special sensors alert drivers when compartment doors are opened.
The engine’s lighting package includes Whelan brand LED emergency lighting, as well as exterior lighting to illuminate roadside accidents or fire scenes.
The emergency lighting package meets or exceeds the wildland fire apparatus standards of the National Fire Protection Association No. 1906, the fire district said in a press release.
