Redmond Airport Fire Truck Has Beer-y Past

A former 1976 Rainier Beer truck has now been turned into a “mobile casualty incident,” or MCI vehicle for the Redmond Airport.

The Redmond Airport Fire Station acquired the truck four or five years ago after the Port of Portland gave it up.

“It’s designed for a major incident and set up for about 100 patients,” said Redmond firefighter Matt Crawford. “We got all kinds of stuff in here, stuff that people are kind of really familiar with.”

The truck includes 80 long back boards for spinal immobilization, two fixed power generators to provide lighting and power away from the rig, gloves, oxygen masks, splints, IV fluids and more — a number of items that a normal fire truck couldn’t carry.

“Most fire trucks just carry one back board — we carry 80 back boards,” Crawford said. “Most fire engines carry a little oxygen — we carry a lot of oxygen.”

Before the vehicle was placed in service, the airport had another that was designed to serve only 37 patients — this one has enough supplies for 100 patients.

The Port of Portland offered the truck to several airports, and the Eugene Airport turned it down first.

“Before they could offer it to somebody else, I bought it and paid $1,200 for it,” said Redmond Airport Manager Carrie Novick.

It came with more than $1,200 of back boards, body bags, a generator and other things on board.

“The whole purpose of having vehicles like this is that they are vehicles you never want to use,” Novick said. “But they are vehicles you want to have in case you do need them.”

As aircraft get larger and larger, and there are more and more passengers, the Redmond Airport Fire Station will be ready for any large-scale emergencies.

Novick says she sees the new MCI vehicle running for a very long time, because of the way the city takes good care of its equipment. The Redmond Airport is also waiting for a new fire truck that should be arriving in the next couple months.