Lewis County Fire District 13 in Boistfort has announced the acquisition of a surplus wildfire engine from the Washington state Department of Natural Resources, made possible through a grant funded by House Bill 1168.
On Jan. 29, department volunteers traveled to Tumwater to collect the engine, one of 25 being distributed to fire agencies statewide at no cost to the fire districts.
The apparatus is a 2015 Ford F-550 brush engine that will replace a 35-year-old engine that the district received through the same grant in 2017, the release announced.
Following some minor upgrades and modifications, the new brush truck will be designated Brush 13-1 and will be stationed at the main station in Curtis and be ready for service for the 2026 fire season.
The grants enable smaller fire districts to enhance wildfire suppression capabilities with rapid wildfire suppression at the local level.
“More often than not, the first lines of defense against wildfire are local fire district personnel,” said George Geissler, DNR’s state forester and deputy supervisor responsible for forest resilience and wildland fire management. “Ensuring the first responders best situated for swift initial attack have the tools they need to reach ignitions early and keep them small ultimately benefits DNR by reducing potential for those larger, more severe wildfires.”
In 2017, the state Legislature authorized DNR to transfer ownership of surplus engines to qualifying districts in need at no cost to them. Funding provided by House Bill 1168, passed in 2021, allowed the agency to increase the rate at which DNR replaces its engines — in turn accelerating the rate at which surplus engines can be provided to fire districts.
Meanwhile, similar federal programs are administered by DNR.
“DNR’s Surplus Engine Program is a great example of our state’s efforts to fund wildfire prevention and response working best on the front lines,” Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove said. “Strong partnerships across local, state and federal levels are critical to successful wildfire suppression efforts. That’s why I’m committed to restoring the full funding that we need to continue our work preventing wildfires and supporting the folks in at-risk communities best positioned to respond quickest.”
For more information on DNR's surplus wildfire engines, visit https://tinyurl.com/4rmvyexr.
