Firetruck damaged by falling tree can be repaired

The firetruck damaged by a falling tree last week during strong winds is repairable, Vancouver Fire Chief Joe Molina said.

Parts have been ordered for the truck and it should be headed to the body shop for work soon, Molina said. A reserve truck is being used in place of the damaged truck, which will be out of service for four to six weeks, Molina said.

Molina said it’s a bit too early to know how much the repairs will cost, but said the cost for parts is about $20,000. The cost to replace a ladder truck reportedly runs between $900,000 and $1 million.

“We will know more once they get it apart,” he said.

On April 7, a large Douglas fir located just south of East Mill Plain Boulevard near East Reserve Street started to fall when the ladder truck was traveling east on the road on its way to a medical call.

The tree, which measured about 4 feet in diameter at its base, fell on the rig, which was traveling about 35 mph.

No one was injured, aside from a couple of crew members who were hit with branches and cut by broken glass.