Volunteers Need New Fire Engine

WAITSBURG - One of the two fire engines owned by Waitsburg's volunteer firefighters in Fire District 2 is 50 years old and not up to code.

The city staff members and firefighters have been keeping their eyes out for surplus engines from other fire departments and were recently outbid on a used en­gine from Walla Walla.

City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe said he learned in early July Waitsburg had been outbid on a 1981 fire en­gine from Walla Walla Coun­ty Fire District 4. Hinchliffe said Waitsburg bid $8,000. The city has $14,000 in the bank to spend on a newer engine.

A brand new engine is out of reach because it would cost about $300,000, Hinchliffe said.

"A new engine is beyond our means," he said. "(The older engine) does enough to work."

Fire District 2 Commis­sioner Jake Long said the district has two engines - a 1985 Seagraves and the 1962 Ford. The Seagraves is still operable, but the Ford has some issues.

Hinchliffe said the Ford is "well beyond its life" and is not up to code because it can't pump enough water to meet newer requirements.

According to the USDA Forest Service Wildland Fire Engine Guide, the wa­ter requirements are 250 to 1,000 gallons per minute for engines.

Long said it's well past the time to upgrade to provide a "better working fleet" for the volunteer firefighters.

The city has had to up­grade trucks and equipment over the years, Long said, but with just $14,000 in reserves for a newer engine, it has been hard to find an afford­able upgrade this time.

"That's just not in the bud­get," Long said.

He said as time goes on, the 1962 Ford becomes more expensive to maintain be­cause it's hard to find parts for such an old vehicle. Long said the department cannot go another 10 years with this truck and it needs to be replaced sooner, rather than later.

Hinchliffe said when the city recognized the need for a new engine it transferred money into an account to save for a new one. However, he said when the city learned a new engine would cost hun­dreds of thousands of dollars, the city stopped saving and started looking for a certified, newer, used engine other de­partments were selling.

Long said Fire Chief Jim Callahan has been writing grants to obtain funding for a new engine, but none have been successful so far. He said the department recently received another "sorry, you didn't make it" letter. But, Long said they'll keep trying.

"This is something we're always looking at," he said. "It needs to be replaced."