PORT ANGELES — When the Grey Wolf River Apartments in Sequim caught fire on May 11, the Port Townsend Fire Department sent its 16-year-old platform truck and the Port Angeles Fire Department dispatched its 38-year-old ladder truck.
The difference in their versatility and performance, seen side by side, was striking, Port Angeles Fire Chief Dan McKeen told the City Council this week.
So the council agreed to buy a new $900,000 platform truck to replace the aged ladder truck.
Increased sales tax revenue from the former state Department of Transportation graving yard project means the city can pay cash for the new rig instead of using a bond issue.
The funding will include $500,000 from the city’s general fund reserve, $103,000 from the existing equipment services replacement fund and $297,000 from the city’s equipment services fund.
McKeen said the city’s fire insurance rating is based in part on the Fire Department’s ability to reach and fight large fires.
35-foot buildings
The Washington Survey and Rating Bureau requires a fire department to have a ladder truck if the city has a building taller than 35 feet or one that requires a fire flow of more than 3,500 gallons per minute, he said.
Port Angeles has 85 such buildings, and more are anticipated, McKeen said.
The city’s 1960s-era ladder truck lacks contemporary safety and technological features, McKeen said.
Fire trucks manufactured prior to 1979 are considered obsolete, he said.
