New Brush Engine Protects Local Residents

In October, the Redlands Fire Department took delivery of a new Type-III wildland fire engine transferred from the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services at no cost to the city. Redlands was one of five Southern California agencies to receive engines transferred to fire departments to support local incident response as well as mutual aid resource requests for fires and other emergencies throughout California. In addition to Redlands, cities receiving the OES engines were Rancho Cucamonga, Corona, San Marcos and Carlsbad. Cal OES State Fire and Rescue Chief Kim Zagaris presented the Type-III wildland fire engines to the fire chiefs and crews from each of the assigned fire departments. Crews “kicked the tires” on their new engines, took inventory of all the on-board equipment and tested all the functions. Redlands Fire Chief Jeff Frazier says the city will benefit from the OES engine, which will be one of the first sent on mutual aid incidents, allowing Redlands engines to remain in the city to protect the community. When not being used for mutual aid incidents, the engine is available for use on incidents within the city. The engines were ordered last year as part of the governor’s concern with ongoing wildfires brought on by a fourth year of drought to provide additional surge capability to the California Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System. Maintenance and repairs on the engine are paid for by the state. The Redlands Fire Department is responsible for housing, fueling and staffing the unit whenever it is needed for major incidents across the state. Such incidents are generally fully reimbursed resulting in no cost to the city. The city is also responsible for insuring the engine and performing minor repairs. Wildland fire engines, with high ground clearance and four-wheel drive, are primarily designed for vegetation fires. However, they may be sent to a wide range of disaster situations. The purchase came as a result of the 2003 Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission and Gov. Jerry Brown’s commitment to the ongoing drought and fire issues.