Firetruck to enter service in March
SPOKANE VALLEY – A project that took several years of planning will be finalized and part of the Spokane Valley Fire Department fleet in March of next year.
A Pierce Pumper, built in Wisconsin, will soon be known as "Engine 8" once it officially joins the city fleet.
According to Deputy Fire Chief Tom Hatley, the process of getting the new truck started in 2019, when fire and shop personnel formed an apparatus committee. The truck was designed by the city shop workers.
The main goal was to provide a fiscally responsible fire engine that meets all the needs of area residents and for the safety of the firefighters, Hatley said.
The planning stage lasted approximately three years, then it was taken to the fire district Board of Commissioners for approval during a Jan. 11 meeting.
Pierce Fire manufacture was given the contract to build Engine 8.
The fire truck was scheduled to take 16 weeks to build. But due to an influx of orders, it took the company 47 weeks from date of order to the date of completion.
The new engine costs $711,470 and was paid for from operations and maintenance levy funds previously approved by voters.
According to the department, supply and demand have put a high demand for fire apparatus and with that has pushed the timeline out almost three years after an apparatus is ordered.
"This has been an issue as the SVFD fire department run volume has risen, which puts more wear and tear on our apparatus requiring more maintenance and repairs," Hatley said via email. "A fire engine has a life span of 20 years but due the number of runs, wear tear, mileage and reliability SVFD replacement plan has our engines on a 15-year replacement schedule."
He said the department utilizes fire engines for 10 years in front line and for five years in reserve.
"It is imperative that SVFD can answer every call for help without any mechanical delay," Hatley said. "Due to our highly trained shop personnel and firefighters taking care of their fire trucks, we have not missed one call for service."
According to the department, this engine will be put in service to take over for a reserve engine that is 13 years old and has more than 120,000 miles on it.
"It is a brand-new fire engine that will be utilized as the new Engine 8," Hatley said. "We just staffed a new engine at Station 8 back in March of this year to cover the increasing call volume in the area covered by Ladder 8."
The new engine will assist with emergency and fire response in Station 8's area.
Being a brand new build, this engine has some new technologies as well, according to Hatley.
"With technology changing daily, this engine is equipped with the HAAS system," Hatley said. "HAAS Alert is a cloud-based collision avoidance technology that sends real-time alerts to a motorist's mobile or navigation device near an emergency vehicle en route or at the scene."
"In a world where drivers are more distracted than ever, and sirens and lights can be missed, device pop-up alerts and vehicle navigation screens match evolving technology and driver preferences."
According to statistics, every day in the U.S., an average of 12,200 roadway emergencies have first responders called to the scene, where they are at risk of being clipped or hit by drivers passing by.
The most recent data shows 14,425 collisions involving emergency vehicles responding to or returning from incidents.
"We at SVFD are proud to have this technology available for our firefighters' and citizens' safety," Hatley said. "Every new engine we put into service will have this technology installed.
"Having an updated fleet has also allowed consistency in our apparatus fleet, with all of our fire engines in the same configuration to provide consistent lifesaving equipment location and reliability."
Matthew graduated from West Virginia University-Parkersburg in 2011 with a journalism degree. He's an award-winning photographer and enjoys writing stories about people.
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