Sean C. Morgan
The new water tender for Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District is in Prineville for installation of several final pieces of equipment before receiving striping and decals and deployment at the Crawfordsville fire station.
That’s the latest development in a string of purchases made after district voters approved a $1.575 million bond in November 2016 to fund needed equipment and construction for SHFAD. The tender is one of three pieces of fire apparatus being purchased with bond money.
Hughes Fire Equipment is assembling a new rescue unit in Springfield, with arrival in Sweet Home expected in April, said Fire Chief Dave Barringer. Hughes will go to work completing the new battalion chiefs’ incident command response vehicle as soon as the rescue unit is out of the garage bay at Hughes.
A new rescue unit is coming together well, Barringer said. A new rescue box and light tower fit easily onto the chassis. The tender, a tank mounted on a used National Guard truck, cost about $85,000.
The rescue unit will cost about $117,000, and a new incident command vehicle will cost $87,000 to $92,000 depending on whether the district chooses to mount a gasoline-powered pump or a diesel-powered pump that will cost more but offer the advantage of using the truck’s main fuel tank, Barringer said.
The bond also paid for a new ambulance, which is in service, replacing a 2005 Ford chassis with serious mechanical problems. The new unit used the box from the ambulance it replaced and cost about $107,000.
The district is considering the purchase of a second four-wheel-drive ambulance, Barringer said. It will replace the district’s oldest four-wheel drive ambulance.
The new ambulance would cost about $211,000 Barringer said.
“We have to make a decision on the four-wheel-drive ambulance. I’m dragging my feet. I don’t like the price – but that’s a higher priority than anything else.”
When complete, the district will station the new 3,000-gallon tender, Tender 23, at Crawfordsville and move a 2,000 gallon 2010 Kenworth to the Fire Hall in Sweet Home, Barringer said. That replaces a 1981 tender.
The district’s oldest tender will be a late 1980s 3,500-gallon tender in Cascadia, Barringer said. After the new tender is delivered, the district will have four tenders, three of them with good pumps and one that hauls water.
The new rescue unit, called Rescue 25, will feature a remounted rescue box donated by the Mohawk Fire District. The older Rescue 25 has power and brake issues that prompted its replacement.
The new incident command vehicle is meant to provide space and functional flexibility that battalion chiefs need. The vehicle is the first response to all non-medical calls and accompanies the ambulance on medical calls to provide additional support or a ride back to the Fire Hall for medics who may not be needed at a medical emergency.
The bond purchases will bring district’s ambulance fleet up to date, Barringer said. On the fire side, the district will have a chance to continue replacing older apparatus.
Barringer said the district will be able to reopen its equipment reserve fund when it receives conflagration funds, compensation for responding to wildfires. The district provided personnel and equipment to California as well as Oregon last year. The funds compensate fire districts for wages and equipment.
The district will need to replace the tender in Cascadia, Barringer said. District officials are considering replacing it with an engine that could be used to respond to wildland fires.
In addition to the vehicles, the district as replaced its rescue and extrication tools for $65,000 and its self-contained breathing apparatus for $267,000, Barringer said. The SCBA gear is nearly ready to deploy, replacing equipment that has reached the end of its certified life. All that is left to do before that is a fitting test to ensure masks fit firefighters’ faces.
With the bond, the district is shifting its focus to its final projects, Barringer said. “We’re really into the building projects now.”
The district has an application into the city’s building department to construct a new bay at Station 22, Foster, Barringer said. The new bay will allow the district to easily store three pieces of apparatus in the station. Right now, two vehicles access the building through a single door.
The project may include living quarters on a second floor, depending on the size of bids for the project, Barringer said.
After that, the district will begin remodeling the living quarters in the Fire Hall, Barringer said. That project is in the planning phase.
The third building and final bond project is a new building that will have space for the district’s boat and squad vehicle, an antique engine and the volunteer association’s food cart and an additional bay for shop space to work on vehicles. It also will provide storage for the Christmas Sharing Tree program.
Plans have already been completed by Heather Harris Design for the new building, Barringer said. The Volunteer Firefighters Association will contribute funds for the structure. The plan is to build it west of the Fire Hall, 1099 Long St.