A NEW WILDLAND FIRE ENGINE FOR PARADISE
PARADISE >> At 11:21 a.m. Tuesday Paradise fire Capt. Keith Castillo officially called into service engine 381, a new 2020 Pierce wild land fire engine for the town of Paradise stationed at Cal Fire-Butte County Station 81.
Engine 381 is a type three wild land urban interface dual purpose engine that was brought to Paradise thanks two a grant by the United States Department of Agriculture and Tri Counties Bank.
The engine arrived in Paradise in mid-July, but gear such as hose, the breathing packs the firefighters wear, the extrication equipment, the rescue equipment, the medical equipment, and other things needed to be safely mounted and secured into compartments before the engine could be put into service.
During a ceremony Tuesday, firefighters from Cal Fire-Butte County stationed at Station 81 in Paradise sprayed water on the front of the engine as part of a firefighting tradition that Paradise Fire Chief Garrett Sjolund said dates back to the 1800s. Following the wet down of the front of the engine Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) joined members of the Paradise communities and representatives from USDA and Tri Counties Bank in wiping down the engine before “pushing” it into its well.
Sjolund said the addition to the town of Paradise will increase firefighters’ capabilities for access and wild land firefighting within and around Paradise. Sjolund said the engine can assist with structure fires and wild land fires, however its capabilities specialize it for use in woodland fire fights due to its four-wheel drive capability, its ground clearance and its shortness of the engine to allow for easy maneuverability. Sjolund noted its possible use on narrow roads that proved challenging for firefighters during the Camp Fire.
The additional engine will also provide both Station 81 and Station 82 with the same type of engines.
“When we have these larger types of fires these are the types of engines that respond to those fires,” Sjolund said.
Sjolund noted the engine’s pump is rated for 1,000 gallons of water per minute and the engine carries 1,200 feet of wild land fire hose. Also aboard the engine is rescue gear, medical gear, extrication gear, “so it is an all risk type fire engine,” Sjolund said. The engine also has a 24-foot ground based ladder that can extend to the roof of a two-story building.
“It was an opportunity to apply for a grant and we did and the town of Paradise was awarded the capability to do that,” Sjolund said.
Paradise Mayor Steve Crowder thanked members of the Paradise community in attendance, saying, “Thank you to the Paradise pioneers for coming home.” Crowder said that Paradise owes it to its citizens to be as fire safe as possible and the new engine with the latest technology is one additional step to keeping the community safe.
“After we passed Measure C we bought these two engines,” Crowder said while pointing to two existing engines at Station 81 on Tuesday. “Our equipment had been old. A lot of it had been
old and was getting ready to retire so this helps. This will replace another one of the older ones so we’ve got fire trucks that will take us through the next 20 years.”
In LaMalfa’s speech, the congressman took time to note that he hopes the addition of the new engine will help with fire insurance insurability for the residents of Paradise.
Crowder also referenced his hopes for insurance affordability in Paradise. He said the town is always looking for grants to do a variety of things, including replacing its emergency sirens and grants to help standing homes get hardened. Crowder said this includes roofing, windows or whatever else is needed. He also said three additional police cruisers are on back order which would bring the city’s total to 17.
“We want to be a fire safe community and we want to let the insurance industry know, ‘Don’t sit in an ivory tower and set our rates. Come look through our town, see what we’re doing and then set our rates accordingly,’” Crowder said.
The Paradise Fire Department currently contracts its fire protection services with Cal FireButte County and Crowder said the relationship between the two is great.
“These guys couldn’t be any more our guys than they were if their sleeves said Paradise,” Crowder said. “And they’re all great guys, and they’ll do anything for you, and they’re proud. See what the front of that (engine) says (Paradise). They’re a prime example of that.”
Engine 381 is stationed at Station 81, located at 767 Birch St. in Paradise.