Craig Daily Press

Craig — Craig Fire/Rescue took possession Tuesday afternoon of the second of three new engines the fire department is scheduled to receive this year.

Fire department officers describe the acquisitions as improvements from aging, decades-old engines.

“There was no agency in Moffat County that had that covered,” Capt. Dennis Jones said, of the two 2008 Type 3 wildland/urban interface engines the department now has. “It was either the structure side of it or the wildland side. Now, we have trucks that do both.”

The two new and identical engines can be used to fight wildland or structure fires on the outer rims of the city, Jones said. The trucks were activated the same days they were acquired — Friday and Tuesday.

“They won’t be up to full capability,” Jones said, “but they will be able to fight fire.”

The trucks are about 27 feet long and have a gross vehicle weight rating — the weight the trucks are capable of hauling — of about 35,000 pounds or 17.5 tons each. The vehicles have a storage capacity of 600 gallons of water and 30 gallons of foam, and are capable of pumping 1,000 gallons per minute.

The trucks cost $315,575 each.

Money from a voter-approved mill levy increase in November 2006, combined with a matching funds grant from the Department of Local Affairs, paid for the new equipment.

“Once the mill levy went through, our promise to the taxpayers was to upgrade our capital equipment,” Jones said.

Originally, the fire department had only budgeted to purchase one of the wildland/urban interface engines this year. However, DOLA’s matching funds grant paved the way for the department to acquire the second truck at no additional cost.

The new engines replace two 20-year-old trucks.

DOLA also contributed money for the third engine the department will receive this year — a 100-foot articulating aerial platform truck scheduled to arrive in December.

The truck replaces a 30-year-old, 50-foot engine and cost about $926,000.

All told, DOLA’s contributions account for nearly half of the total cost for the new engines.

Jones said Training Officer Samantha Johnston was instrumental in acquiring the DOLA money.

“It wouldn’t have happened without her,” he said.

Craig Fire/Rescue chief Bill Johnston has described the 100-foot articulating aerial truck as the “first of its kind in America” and the new trucks overall as “the very best for our district.”

He said the top selling point for the aerial platform truck is the safety it will provide firefighters.

The new truck allows for firefighters to “perform 90 percent of our roof activity” without stepping off the platform, the fire chief said.