New fire truck is here

La Conner Fire Department’s new $450,000 fire truck rolled into town on Tuesday afternoon.

Fire Chief Dan Taylor, and firefighters Joe Fohn and Ken Jungquist were at the fire station on Chilburg Road in time to get the first glimpse of it.

Financed over 10 years with one-tenth of 1 percent sales tax increase voters approved three years ago, the truck could help town residents see better fire insurance rates.

Last month Chief Taylor traveled to South Dakota to inspect the custom-built Spartan ERV Star Series Pumper truck before it was driven to Portland, Oregon, where last minute details were finished.

On Tuesday, it was driven from Portland to La Conner. The fire department will spend a few days going through it and training with it before the formal final acceptance is signed, Taylor said.

The new truck can carry a crew of five, has top-mounted pump controls to keep the operator out of the street and has lots of technological enhancements for fire fighting.

Also, it comes with bright LED scene lighting for night emergency responses.

This gives the town two pumper trucks. Until now, the town had no backup when its 1995 model truck was being serviced or out on a call.

The department also owns a fire boat to help protect the town’s waterfront and two rescue vehicles.