By Don Murtha
When the family auto starts needing too many repairs and those repairs eat into the household budget, it’s time to replace the “old clunker.”
The same, firefighters say, is true for old fire engines.
The Mount Angel Fire District is going to the voters on Nov. 6 to seek approval of a $950,000 bond for replacements for two old fire engines.
Officials estimate the 10-year bond will raise property taxes in the district 35 cents per $1,000 assessed value, or about $70 a year for a $200,000 home.
“We have two deteriorating engines that need to be replaced,” volunteer firefighter Karl Bischoff said. “Replacing parts gets more and more expensive for these old machines and they are starting to nickel and dime us.”
Bischoff said the engines and the plumbing on the two old trucks need servicing more and more often.
“The engines have run up excessive hours and the Mount Angel water is no friend to the plumbing,” he said. “We should have done this earlier.”
The two aging engines are front line equipment, put into service for the district in 1992.
“If we don’t get the bond issue now, we will just have to come back in two years and with the economy, who knows what the cost will be then,” he said.
The new trucks would meet OSIA and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. The trucks would be identical so that volunteer crews only have to learn one system.
“That is so that when we get to a fire, no one is confused about what equipment is where and how to use it,” Bischoff said.
The Mount Angel Fire District covers 35 square miles and the district is often called out to cover or assist fire departments in Silverton, Woodburn, Scotts Mills, Marquam and sometimes Salem.
“Property is valuable these days and people what to be sure they are protected from fire,” Bischoff said.
The trucks the district is seeking have drive-and-roll capability, meaning that they can drive to a fire and begin suppression of the flames immediately from an on-board tank holding 1,500 gallons of water. Where hydrants are available they can hook-up immediately.
In addition, the district has a tanker with a 2,500 gallon capacity.
The new trucks would also have a capacity for a crew of six, one more than the existing vehicles. The crew will include the driver, a captain, and four on the hoses.
The district also has a rescue truck that covers for ambulance and fire equipment.
“The rescue truck is the most visible in town because it is used most. It goes to the Mount Angel Towers very often for medical emergencies there,” Bischoff said.
When the rescue truck was purchased in 2007, the district had the funds available in the budget.
The fire district is a strictly a volunteer organization and all members are trained in the equipment and fire suppression and all have CPR training.
