Town's new fire truck nearing completion

The La Conner Fire Department is gearing up for their newest addition – a custom-built fire truck for the town, expected to roll into station near the end of October.

This truck has been in the works for a few years. In 2012 La Conner residents voted for a sales tax increase in to raise money for the truck and the town placed its order to have it built last year.

Now it is nearing completion.

“We’re very excited,” said La Conner Fire Chief Dan Taylor. “It’s been designed for our specifications and will be very serviceable for many years. We’ve taken the best features from other trucks around the county.”

The new rig has lots of storage, is a few inches longer and wider than the current truck, has a sharper turn radius and more room for crew, tools and equipment. It will sport a 35-foot ladder and water nozzle already owned by the department, and comes with an integrated foam system for fighting fires.

“Our current truck has a retrofitted foam system, and so the new system will be made for the truck and streamlined,” said Taylor. “We’ll need new training on the system, but it will work much better.”

Despite the bill being around $450,000 after tax, the town is ready. The town took out a bond to buy the truck once it is completed in October.

“The town will pay back the bond at the rate of $37,000 per year until December 2025,” said the town’s Finance Director Maria DeGoede.

The special sales tax approved in 2012 collects one tenth of one percent of sales in town, which will be used to pay back the bond. Last year, the town expected $17,000 from the tax increase and actually received $24,600.23.

For 2014 the town budgeted to receive $37,170 and according to a report for the town council on Tuesday, Sept. 9, the special sales tax has raised an average of $3,800 a month — aiming toward $45,600 for the year.

With only a single firetruck, lending aid to calls in the surrounding District 13, or even a day of routine maintenance or testing, has potential to leave the town without a response zehicle.

“It will definitely be more comfortable with a second truck,” said Taylor. “We could give mutual aid and still have a truck for calls in town. We’re here for all citizens, but our first responsibility will be to the citizens of La Conner.”

The truck is being built by Spartan ERV, a custom-order, emergency response vehicle manufacturer, which makes response vehicles for towns all over the country: from Texas to North Carolina to North Dakota.

La Conner’s new truck is being built in Florida, and then the dealer will drive it to the Pacific Northwest for final inspections before delivery.

“If there are any maintenance issues, a trip like that will point them out to be fixed,” said Taylor. “And the dealer has all the proper permits and licenses to bring it all the way up here.”

After delivery, the department will load it full of all the gear and equipment for keeping the town safe, which will take about a week. After that, the new rig is expected to make appearances at local sports games for community support, and to spread the word about volunteer firefighting.