New engines enter service with Fire District 2

A quarter century after the last new engines to enter service with the district, Grays Harbor Fire District 2 welcomes a pair of new engines into service.

One is currently being outfitted, while the other is already out on the roads, said Chief John McNutt, responding to its first call Saturday.

“It’s something that’s been necessary. We’ve had lots of major repairs needed on the trucks we were using,” McNutt said in an interview. “The more economical use was to put those funds toward the purchase of a new item that can be here for 20, 25 years.”

The engines are Fouts Brother FB94 models — a general-use sort of engine, built on a Spartan chassis, said Casey Hogarty, firefighter and district mechanic, who’s overseen the acquisition and outfitting of the engines.

“I kind of started pushing the commissioners and everyone to start looking for a new apparatus because our fleet is getting kind of old,” Hogarty said. “We need to modernize our fleet to make sure we’re there for our neighbors.”

The two engines and the outfitting process were sorted through a $1.5 million loan, McNutt said.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to have new equipment. Thanks to residents of the district who supported our levies for new equipment,” Hogarty said. “Now we can be assured we can respond for many years to come.”

Everything you need, nothing you don’t

The engines are all-arounders, Hogarty said — no extravagances, just straightforward fire engines with the improvements the industry has learned since the last time the district bought new engines.

“For us, water capacity is a big one. Probably only a third of our district has fire hydrants,” Hogarty said. “Room for all our equipment. We don’t just do fire, we do extrication, and we do medical out of the engines if we have to.”

Working for weeks since the department took delivery of the engines, Hogarty has overseen refits to the engines to make the set-up as intuitive and safe for firefighters as possible.

Decades working with automobiles made Hogarty the choice for refits before entering his commission, McNutt said.

“There’s a lot of planning of course. What’s going to go in what compartments. Modifying shelving and cabinets,” Hogarty said. “That’s what we need to have, not having to wander around the truck aimlessly trying to find something.”

Other improvements out of the factory also reduce risk of injury, McNutt said, things like lower hose storage that doesn’t require firefighters to climb up on the tailboard, or internal ladder storage so more compartments can be located on the outside of the truck.

“It was pretty straightforward. These two engines are stock-build. They’re cookie cutter,” Hogarty said. “They don’t have all the bells and whistles we don’t need. We don’t need it to be fancy.”

The trucks seat six comfortably and have a 1,000 gallon water tank, good for rural operations where the hydrant infrastructure doesn’t reach, McNutt said.

Quality of Life

Besides a pleasant new car smell, the new engines incorporate a lot of features that have become standard since the district’s last new engine that will make things easier and quicker for firefighters to do their jobs, McNutt said, whether that be putting out fires, responding to a car crash or providing medical assistance at a scene.

“In 25 years there has been a lot of technological improvements,” McNutt said. “The safeties that are in place. The tracking of passengers being seated and seatbelts. The pump operation is much simpler on this one. The gauges are much simpler on this one.”

Getting two identical engines at the same time means Hogarty can easily replicate the effort on the second engine. It also means firefighters swapping between trucks won’t have to re-familiarize where all the kit they need is.

“Everything they need is on the outside. They don’t need to climb in and out of the truck,” McNutt said. “The truck layout is a very thoughtful design.”

The first new engine in commission is located at District 2’s main station, while the second will be staged at the Brady station, McNutt said. This will allow them to push the engine currently at Brady out to the Wynoochee station, and to phase the engine currently at Wynoochee out of service. The current Wynoochee engine is from 1986, McNutt said, approaching four decades in service, with an open crew section and the smallest water tank of all District 2’s engines.

The engines were bought through a lease-to-own program with Fouts, McNutt said.

“We bought these using a 15-year lease to own program. We’ll be making payments on these for the next 15 years, currently,” McNutt said. “We can pay it off early if we have the ability.”

Hogarty and McNutt both thanked the district voters for supporting the effort and the department; the firefighters are already well-pleased for the upgraded engine.

“They guys were very happy with the way it functioned on that call,” McNutt said. “We want to thank the public for supporting us.”

Contact Senior Reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or michael.lockett@thedailyworld.com.

Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World Grays Harbor Fire District 2 Chief John McNutt demonstrates some of the gear compartments on the district’s new engine.