Cloverdale RFPD gets two new fire engines
The Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District has placed into service two new Quick Response Vehicles / brush trucks for emergency response.
These trucks replace four fire trucks ranging in age from 11 to 41 years old. Two of those trucks had become overloaded beyond their designed weight capacity of 11,200 pounds.
The new trucks are built on 2012 Ford F-550 extended cab four-wheel-drive chassis with a gross weight rating of 19,500 pounds.
These trucks were designed to be able to handle a variety of emergency calls (motor vehicle accidents, brush fires, medical emergencies). These trucks greatly improve firefighter safety due to larger anti-lock brakes, air bags, and traction control.
They have increased capabilities over the previous trucks due to increased water tank and pump capacity (350 gallon tanks, 130 gallon per minute pumps). They also feature larger storage compartments, class A foam, self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), emergency medical equipment, reciprocating saws, and improved scene lighting.
This added weight carrying capability will also allow the district to add equipment in the future, such as hydraulic rescue tools for vehicle extrication without exceeding the trucks designed weight carrying capacity.
These trucks were designed by a committee of volunteers and staff with assistance from Robberson Ford of Bend, Cascade Fire Equipment of Medford and Highway Products of White City, OR.
The total cost of the trucks is under $160,000. The Fire District estimates a cost savings of over $40,000 per truck by designing and building the trucks using in-state vendors. The Fire District received bids of over $122,000 per truck for comparable vehicles built by fire truck manufacturers.
They were paid for with basic local property taxes, without the use of a levy or bond. Residents of the CRFPD enjoy the lowest fire assessment tax rates in Deschutes County, at $1.09 per $1,000 of property value.
