Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue upgrades its engine

WOODLAND — Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue acquired a new fire engine at Station 29. To mark the occasion, Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue performed a “push-in” ceremony at Station 29 on May 25.

Thirteen personnel, including Woodland City Administrator Pete Boyce, pushed the new truck into the station. According to a news release, the ceremony dates back to the late 1800s “when fire departments used hand-drawn pumpers and horse-drawn equipment.”

The new engine was built by Pierce Manufacturing in Appleton, Wis. It boasts a 730-gallon water tank and 2,500 feet of fire hose.

“It’s an honor to have run the first and last emergency incident on the old engine. We had that rig in service for 21 years,” firefighter Kevin Saari said in the release. “I’m glad to be a part of the first incident on the new fire engine, but I don’t think I’ll be running the last incident on it.”

It’s the first of four new engines that the agency will receive over the next 15 months; three were purchased by the fire district, and one was supplied by the Cowlitz Indian Tribe through a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue serves 40,000 people, including in the cities of La Center, Ridgefield and Woodland and the Cowlitz Indian Reservation.