Burlington Northern Santa Fe's Spokane-based fire train is shown above at a small fire in Indian Canyon this spring. Deployment of the train on last month's Fish Lake fire provided need replenishment of water supplies in the field.
One of the units used on the Fish Lake fire June 17 was a unit some people may not know existed, others may have forgotten existed and most might not ever see - a fire train.
Burlington Northern Santa Fe spokesman Gus Melonas said when the fire broke out the railroad dispatched its fire train based in Spokane to the blaze. The 4-5-car train features three flat cars loaded with a total of 11 tanks carrying 3,100 gallons of water.
Melonas said each train is mounted with hose sprayers that can be used to directly fight fires. The trains also have the capability of transferring water to other fire agencies water tender trucks, which is how the Spokane train was used at Fish Lake.
Spokane County Fire District 3 Deputy Fire Chief Kelly Jennings said BNSF pulled the train up alongside the Fish Lake fire and parked it on a siding just off Scribner Road. The district's tenders then hooked up and received water, rather than traveling to the nearest hydrants located in Cheney, near Spokane Memorial Gardens Cemetery or in the Windsor residential area - all several miles away from the fire.
"We were actually able to save quite a bit of road time," Jennings said. "They've essentially made portable hydrants for us to hook up to and get water."
Melonas said the fire trains in Washington are holdovers from the days when the former Spokane, Portland and Seattle line operated the existing tracks. Besides Spokane, trains are located in Pasco, Wishram along the Columbia Gorge, Bend, Oregon; Vancouver, Washington; Tacoma and Seattle, with the Pasco train also possessing cars carrying foam retardant needed to fight chemical and oil fires.
As train traffic increases - about 40-45 BNSF trains now pass daily through the Cheney area alone - Melonas said it has become imperative for the railroad to not only make sure there is sufficient fire fighting capabilities available but also that fire prevention measures are increased. Crews working on tracks carry foam retardant sprayers with them that are used in conjunction with cutting and grinding equipment.
Melonas said it's necessary to grind the rails in order to shape them for optimal performance, with work often taking place at night and factors such as heat and wind taken into account in the planning process.
Locomotive exhaust stacks are regularly cleaned and maintained, and BNSF continually upgrades its locomotive fleet with new engines. The railroad sprays structures and bridges with fire retardant, and also has a trackside vegetation-spraying program to remove weeds and other plants.
Melonas said crews make twice a year spraying passes through Cheney, more if necessary. With the summer prognosis calling for continued drought conditions and above normal temperatures, Melonas said they plan on doing more spraying while also conducting extra track patrols to keep track of conditions.
"It's an important component," he added. "We want to ensure the safest operating practices on our railroad."
If another fire should break out along BNSF tracks, the Spokane fire train is not the only option. Jennings said the railroad parked a smaller, grayish railcar in Cheney with a fire turret mounted on top.
"That's there, and with a phone call they (BNSF) can get that out to us," he said.
John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.
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