Out with the Old, In with the New... Engines!

It is not often that a fire department is able to purchase 11 new fire engines in one fell swoop, but that's exactly what happened in Central Kitsap. In 2006, voters passed the CKFR fire levy which approved funding for engine and vehicle replacement. Once funds were approved, firefighters and mechanics set to work designing fire engines that fit our community and departmental needs. The process of designing, bidding and building the engines took us well into 2008. By using a joint purchasing plan and ordering the engines in bulk, CKFR cut more than one million dollars off the original estimated engine replacement costs. Now the engines are ready to serve the Central Kitsap community.

Over the course of the past two weeks, firefighters unloaded emergency response equipment from the old department engines and transferred it to the new engines. The process is exciting and time consuming as crews and mechanics ensure equipment is appropriately placed and functioning. The transition for the first engine, Engine 45 out of Station 45 on Trenton Avenue, took a bit of finagling as crews became familiar with the new engine's design. "Now that we've actually emptied the old Smeal fire engine and placed all the equipment on the new 2008 Pierce engine, we anticipate the placement of equipment on the other new engines will progress quite quickly," states CKFR Operations Chief Jay Lovato.

You will definitely recognize the new CKFR engines when you see them. They are shiny, red and sport the latest in reflective striping, along with large lettering on the sides and the CKFR website denoted on the rear: ckfr.org. The emergency lighting on the new engines features bright, LED lights that are highly visible in traffic.

From a firefighter perspective, these engines are capable of carrying more emergency response equipment than previously fit on the older CKFR engines. So that firefighters are able to provide enhanced service when initially arriving on-scene, new rope rescue kits were added for use in motor vehicle crashes where cars end-up over low angle embankments. The technologically advanced, firefighting foam system onboard the new engines allows firefighters to squelch a fire more quickly than a pure water system, which decreases fire and water damage to structures. Many of the safety features that you enjoy in your personal automobile are also on the new engines, including improved handling, airbags, enclosed cabs, fuel efficiency, and cleaner burning engines resulting in reduced emissions.

Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue is honored with the responsibility of serving our community and the ability to add these top-notch fire engines to our fleet. Look for the new engines on your streets.