Fire Department upgrades to newer fire engine

Lincoln firefighters spent part of Sunday, Jan 15 at Station 3 east of Lincoln getting to know the latest addition to the Lincoln Rural Fire District's fleet of emergency vehicles, a 1991 Pierce fire engine.

The LRFD acquired the truck from Gardner, Mont. to replace the aging LeFrance fire engine the district has used since the early 2000's.

"I wanted to get a bunch of people here so we could drain the other truck and use this one and pump with it," Muse said.

The new fire engine is about a decade newer than the LeFrance, has a 1250 gallon-per-minute pump, a recently rebuilt engine and several notable upgrades, including improved technology, a water cannon on the top deck and an enclosed cab for four firefighters.

"It's all been gone through; the engine was rebuilt 400-500 miles ago," Muse said. "It's new to us. It's a good upgrade over the LeFrance."A main advantage of the Pierce is the ability to control the pumps from the top deck of the vehicle, instead of from one side. That lets firefighters to run hoses off either side of the vehicle and provides more flexibility in how they approach a fire. Additionally, the deck gun allows them to direct water onto a fire from the engine itself, which can be useful in a variety of situations, such as car fires.

The Pierce is equipped with a 1250 gallon-per-minute pump. While that is technically less powerful than the one on the LeFrance, the old truck's pump is no longer up to par.

"It's not passing," Muse said. "If it says it's capable of pumping 1500 gallons a minute, it has to pass, and it doesn't. It still pumps 1250, 1300, which is as big or bigger than anything we have."

The new rig also has better storage for equipment, including compartments on the side of the vehicle where Muse installed mounts for breathing apparatus, extra air tanks and hand tools. "The LeFrance basically just had boxes you kept it all in," Muse said.

He said they had to install an on-board charger and a radio, and there are a few minor things they have to fix, and but overall it's in good shape.

"It is easier to run, so more people can use it on some of our larger house fires," said Assistant Fire Chief Derek Perez. "Being that we have (firefighters) who live out here, they can grab this truck quicker than going into town and coming out with the other one."

Although the fire engine housed at Station 3 isn't seen as often as the main fire/rescue engine in town, it plays an important role for residents of the valley even if they don't have a fire.

Muse explained the LRFD keeps Station 3 staffed with water and the pumper because it provides residents within five air miles of the station with better insurance rates. That covers homes along Highway 279 and almost as far east as the Mike Horse area " It helps them out, plus we have the room out here. It's not that far out of the way."

The money to fund the replacement fire engine came from the Fire District's equipment replacement fund that they set aside as part of the annual budget. "We put money in those so we know over the next however many years, we can buy something," Muse said. The cost was supplemented by income the fire department earned through wild land firefighting and donations. "We still keep our one-year budget in reserve that we do not touch unless it's something catastrophic."

They earned back about $1500 by selling the old LeFrance engine to a rancher in the Great Falls area who plans to use it for controlled burns and as an equipment truck.