Redmond City Council approves new $1.5 million airport fire truck 

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- On Tuesday night, the Redmond City Council approved the purchase of a new Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting vehicle—known as ARFF—for Redmond Municipal Airport. The city will buy the Oshkosh Striker 6x6 from Hughes Fire Equipment for $1,555,515 through a Sourcewell cooperative purchase agreement. 

The Striker 6x6 is a high-powered fire truck designed specifically for airports. It is built to respond quickly to aircraft emergencies, such as fires on the runway or engine problems during landing. The vehicle carries thousands of gallons of water and several hundred gallons of foam used to smother jet fuel fires, and it can also spray dry chemicals for electrical or fuel-based fires that water cannot extinguish. 

“ARFF One, is our main vehicle. It’s about ten years old and still operating fine,” Redmond Airport Director Zackary Bass said. “ARFF Two. It’s 31 years old. It is a workhorse—it’s been great, but we’re starting to see more and more maintenance issues occur. So we need to replace that with a newer vehicle.” 

Bass said the airport operates two firefighting vehicles to meet Federal Aviation Administration requirements, that commercial airports have ARFF units available 24 hours a day with a three-minute response time to incidents on the airfield.  

An older vehicle, ARFF 2 was purchased in 1996 and is now far beyond its reliable service life, making replacement parts difficult to find and increasing the risk of noncompliance with FAA safety standards.  

The Oshkosh Striker 6x6 includes six all-driving wheels for strong traction and quick movement over rough terrain such as gravel or grass near runways. The truck features a specialized suspension system for stability at high speeds, a Snozzle extendable arm that allows water or foam to be sprayed directly into aircraft, thermal imaging cameras to locate hot spots through smoke, and a reinforced cab that seats up to five firefighters. 

Funding for the new vehicle will come entirely from local airport funds as part of Redmond Airport’s capital needs plan, and no budget adjustment is required because of shifting project timelines.  

The city is receiving a discount of about $16,000 by paying upon completion rather than delivery, and airport reserves are still projected to remain strong after the purchase.  

Bass said the replacement for ARFF 2 is already in production and expected to be on the ground and operational within three months.