The Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) has announced that 76 Oregon fire departments and rural fire protection districts – including a few in Umatilla and Morrow counties – will receive new engines and tender trucks as part of a $25 million statewide engine program.
A total of 13 Eastern Oregon departments will receive a new vehicle. The Eastern Oregon departments and the engine type they have been awarded are:
- Baker City Fire and Rescue Station 24: Type 6 engine
- Burns Fire Department: Type 3 engine
- City of John Day Fire Department: Type 3 engine
- Enterprise OR Fire Department: Type 6 engine
- Irrigon Fire Department: Type 3 engine
- Heppner Fire Department: Tender
- Ontario Rural Fire Protection District: Tender
- North Powder Rural Fire Protection District: Type 6 engine
- South Gilliam County Rural Fire Protection District: Tender
- Umatilla County Fire District #1: Type 3 Engine
- Umatilla Rural Fire Protection District: Tender
- Unity-Burnt River Fire & EMS Department: Tender
- Vale Fire and Ambulance: Tender
The OSFM Engine Program is a part of the agency’s Response Ready Oregon initiative, launched in 2021. The initiative is part of a multi-pronged approach to prepare, prevent, and respond to wildfires. The goal of Response Ready Oregon is to attack fires while they are small and keep them away from communities, according to Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. In January 2023, contracts were awarded to Rosenbauer to build the water tenders and type 3 engines. Skeeter was awarded the contract to build the type 6 engines. Ruiz-Temple said the OSFM anticipates deliveries to begin in 2023 and continue through the first two quarters of 2024.
