EPHRATA — It took about 33 months to build and get right, but the Ephrata Fire Department received its newest fire apparatus — fire truck to the layman — March 1, according to an announcement by the department.  

“The new fire truck cost $789,725.22 and was fully funded by ARPA funds. ARPA funds are federal funding that was authorized by the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act following COVID-19,” said Ephrata City Clerk and Public Information Officer Katie Kapalo.  

ARPA funding was granted as one-time funding for public health, infrastructure and similar purposes during the pandemic.  

Ephrata Fire Chief Jeremy Burns said the new truck will replace a vehicle from 1994 that had reached the end of its 30-year service life. Funding to replace the vehicle had originally been approved via a bond election in 2015, but the ARPA funding allowed the city to use ARPA funds for the vehicle, which was built by KME Fire out of Louisiana. Burns said the company was helpful in getting the truck custom-built to suit Ephrata Fire’s needs.  

“It was finished in Louisiana in January,” he said. “We went back for our final trip inspection (where we) literally go through the blueprints and the build specifications line-by-line to make sure that it’s all signed off and things are as they should be before they ship it out to Washington to us.”  

The new apparatus has some upgrades in regard to capacity and crew safety, Burns said. The positioning of the hoses, known as crosslay, is at a height that is more easily accessible to firefighters. With more female firefighting staff, who tend to be shorter than male firefighters, this adds to safety when handling the hoses, which can be very heavy. The new configuration reduces the shoulder load the crew member has to handle. Additionally, the firefighter doesn’t have to be average height or shorter to see added safety benefits. 

“One of the last injuries that we had pulling hose wasn’t from a short person trying to pull the crosslay,” Burns said. “It was from a person who was (about six feet tall) that had shouldered (the hose) and then, as he was stepping down, rolled his ankle between the curb and the fire engine. Meanwhile, we have a burning house that we’re trying to deploy attack lines on to extinguish.”  

Functionally, the new apparatus has improved statistics compared with the vehicle it is replacing. The new vehicle can pump 1,750 gallons per minute from a 1,000-gallon onboard tank or other water source. The truck it is replacing had a pump rate of 1,500 gallons.  

While the department also has a ladder truck for taller buildings like the new hotel going in near the Ephrata Walmart, Burns said this truck comes with a full complement of ladders to help address fires in taller buildings and brings diverse capabilities with it. The standard crew for the apparatus is six firefighters, but fewer may be utilized to deploy it, if necessary. 

Burns said he is thankful for the community’s support in voting to fund a replacement of the vehicle when the bond was put before them several years ago. During that election cycle, he said, the city had committed to ensuring that vehicles like this one are replaced over an extended period rather than close together, making it more affordable under budgeting constraints.  

“In that bond passage, what we did is we purchased a new engine in 2016, and we replaced the 1998 (fire truck) we had, so we could spread out those purchases more. We have a 1994 (apparatus) that’s being replaced with this engine,” he said.  

The strategy of buying major equipment in intervals makes it so the city can more easily afford to keep its equipment up to date. However, while the city anticipates a 30-year life for the new engine as well, the goal is to maintain it and continue using it so long as it is operating dependably, Burns said.  

    Ephrata Fire Department’s new truck, which cost about $790,000, sits outside in the Columbia Basin sunshine after arriving at its new home March 1. Fire Chief Jeremy Burns said it adds functionality and safety for firefighters as they work in the field.
  

    SOURCE: EPHRATA FIRE DEPARTMENT/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD GRAPHIC