$350K grant buys new pumper truck for Fire District 24 in Darrington

Published 8:32 pm Monday, October 26, 2015

DARRINGTON — It’s a big deal for a small department.

Snohomish County Fire District 24 in Darrington picked up a new fire engine pumper truck worth more than $350,000 on Friday and it won’t cost local taxpayers a penny.

The fire district received a Community Development Block Grant to cover the cost. Its next youngest engine is from 1986.

“It’s going to be a great asset for the entire community,” fire district Capt. Jeff McClelland said. “The best part is we didn’t have to go to the community to raise taxes.”

The new truck was driven from South Dakota, where it was manufactured, to Spokane, where hoses, nozzles and other equipment were added. It was then driven to Tulalip where it was presented to Darrington firefighters at an annual Washington State Fire Commissioners conference.

The company offered to bring it to Darrington, but local firefighters were eager to drive it themselves and picked it up in Tulalip, McClelland said.

They stopped by the hardware store and the IGA grocery to show it off.

“I don’t want to drive it when it is raining,” McClelland said. “It just looks great. There is going to be a lot to polish.”

There still is some work to do on the truck, including figuring out where to place the word “Darrington.”

The truck is 33 feet 8 inches long. It barely fits into the existing Station 38 fire hall off Swede Haven Road. A new station in the works will have plenty of room to accommodate the new fleet addition.

There are some advantages to the new truck, McClelland said. For example, firefighters will be able to go through the front bumper to access water to put out car fires along narrow roads and on the state highway. That’s a lot safer for the volunteer firefighters than the current hookup along the side of the truck, which exposes them to traffic.

The new rig even reports if someone is not using a seat belt and exactly which seat that is, McClelland said.

As Darrington firefighters put the finishing touches on the new engine, they’re eagerly awaiting the arrival of a new aid car worth about $80,000. The money for that vehicle comes from the Cascade Valley Hospital Foundation, McClelland said.

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.