April 4, 2023 10:30 a.m.
Four fire agencies in Douglas County have been selected to receive a new type 6 fire engine or a water tender to boost firefighting capacity.
A release from the Oregon State Fire Marshal said 76 local fire service agencies were picked to receive equipment as part of its $25 million Engine Program.
The Elkton Rural Fire Protection District will get a Type 6 engine, while both the Tenmile Rural Fire Protection District and the Winston-Dillard Fire Department will receive a tender.
A selection committee comprised of members from the Oregon Fire Chiefs Association, Oregon Volunteer Firefighters Association and Oregon State Fire Fighters Council reviewed applications.
Applicants were selected based on four principles:
*Assuring statewide distribution and allocation based on local initial attack, regional mutual aid and conflagration needs
*Necessary infrastructure to maintain and protect the apparatus long term
*Recent apparatus awards from the legislature and other legislative funding sources such as wildland-urban interface and omnibus legislation
*The capacity to staff newly awarded apparatus
Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said, “This investment in the Oregon fire service is critical as the state modernizes equipment and increases firefighting capacity to respond to incidents in our communities”. Ruiz-Temple said over the last three decades, more communities have been impacted by wildfire. She said, “This investment is a major step forward in achieving our mission to protect people, property, and the environment from fire and hazardous materials”.
The OSFM Engine Program is 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 Ready Response Oregon is to attack fires while they are small and keep them away from communities.
Award recipients will enter into a contract with the OSFM to support OFMAS mobilizations, boosting local, regional and state response. A release said the investment into the Oregon fire service will bring more resources, and the right resources, to a stretched system.
The OSFM Engine Program funding was made possible through Senate Bill 762, Oregon’s wildfire omnibus bill passed in 2021.