Kent-based Puget Sound Fire has added two Type 3 wildland fire engines to help combat the growing number of brush fires in its wide coverage area.<\/p>\n
The fire engines are four-wheel drive to make driving over rough terrains easier and have pump and roll capabilities, according to Puget Sound Fire The engines will carry 500 gallons of water and a compliment of firefighting hoses, ladders and other tools.<\/p>\n
“These engines are more versatile than our standard fire engines when responding to brush fires and wildland urban interface fires,” according to a Puget Sound Fire statement.<\/p>\n
The engines will be used to assist with structure protection and with the “pump and roll” capabilities can extinguish brush fires while slowly driving down the road.<\/p>\n
Puget Sound Fire’s coverage area includes the cities of Covington, Kent, Maple Valley, SeaTac, Tukwila and King County Fire Districts 37 and 43.<\/p>\n
In 2022, Puget Sound Fire responded to 238 brush fires, according to an Aug. 8 email from spokesperson Pat Pawlak.<\/p>\n
From Jan. 1 to Aug. 8 in 2o23, the agency has responded to 271 brush fires compared to 84 during the same period in 2022.<\/p>\n
The 2022 brush fire numbers didn’t include Tukwila calls, as the city of Tukwila’s contract with Puget Sound Fire didn’t start until this year. But the number remains a significant increase in brush fires, Pawlak said.<\/p>\n
Each engine cost $420,000, Pawlak said. Puget Sound Fire paid for one of the engines and King County Fire District 43 paid for the second one. The engines were made by Idaho-based Boise Mobile Equipment.<\/p>\n
Pawlak said one engine will be assigned to a Maple Valley fire station and the other one will most likely be based at Station 78 in Covington.<\/p>\n
Firefighters and mechanics are going through training on the vehicles, so a start date for the engines has yet to be determined, Pawlak said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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