Local News

Local Fire Districts To Get New Engines

BEND, OR -- Local fire districts are getting new apparatus, as part of the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s $25 million Engine Program.

Bend Fire will receive a new Type 6 engine, designed for initial attack of wildland fires. Rural Fire Protection Districts in Sisters-Camp Sherman, Jefferson County and Crooked River Ranch will get Type 3 engines, also for rapid deployment during wildfire. And new water tenders are headed for Cloverdale and La Pine.

Funding for the program is a result of the passage of Senate Bill 762 in 2021. Statewide, 76 agencies were awarded new apparatus. As part of the program, the fire districts agree to support state mobilizations. Local agencies aren’t likely to see the new vehicles until the spring of 2024 due to the extended build time for the vehicles.

Deschutes County Fire Defense Board Chief Roger Johnson said in a statement, “These investments in Central Oregon will not only improve local response capabilities, but will also add capacity to the statewide Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System (OFMAS).”  The OFMAS system is made up of the more than 300 local fire departments in the state, mobilized under the Emergency Conflagration Act. Central Oregon fire departments actively participate in the OFMAS program and also receive resources through the program for significant wildfires in the region.

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