On the Challenge of Replacing Fire Engines

Did you know that a new fire engine today can cost upwards of $450,000? This is the main reason that most Plumas County FD's have older apparatus, often much older. The small budgets that most of our volunteer FD's have do not go far towards the purchase of new engines. So, that leaves the options of obtaining a grant, purchasing used, financing, or gaining a donation. There is also a federal and state loan program where a department can obtain an old engine on loan for use, typically wildland engines. More on that in a future feature.
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All of the above options have been used in Plumas County to various degrees. Grants are very hard to obtain for new apparatus - there are very limited funds available in these programs and a great deal of competition. However, a few departments have succeeded over the years, a little bit like winning the lottery. The most common method is to purchase a used fire engine, usually from an urban department, and typically at an age of 20+ years of service.

This week we are pleased to announce that the Long Valley FD has completed the purchase of a great, used 1995 Type I custom pumper from the Marinwood Fire Department in Marin County. It arrived Saturday afternoon, complete with some donated equipment on board. This will be a huge improvement for Long Valley, replacing a poorly running 1980 pumper that now has a failing motor. Look forward to a longer feature once this replacement has been placed in service. For now enjoy the photo below of the welcoming firefighters yesterday. And by the way, the water tender pictured to the left was obtained years ago on a federal grant through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. The grant was written by now retired Chief Dan Kenney, pictured to the far right in the group below.

This addition is great not only for Long Valley, but also for the neighboring communities from an automatic or mutual aid standpoint. Congrats to the Long Valley FD for refusing to let having a tiny budget of roughly $18,000 a year prevent them from modernizing. "Energy and persistence conquer all things..." - Benjamin Franklin.