Port Angeles – The Port Angeles Fire Department recently took possession of a vital piece of fire equipment was purchased from surplus.
Through a collaboration of the City of Port Angeles and the Port of Port Angeles, the Fire Department now owns a Wildland Urban Interface Fire Engine, which they say is crucial in fighting forested and grassland fires.
Fire Chief Derrell Sharp says the 1998 International has a 500-gallon water tank along with pump-and-roll capabilities, which means fire crews can spray water while on the move. The engine is also better equipped to navigate narrow roads.
Paul Jarkiewicz, Executive Director of the Port, noticed the Wildland Fire Engine for sale on a Government Surplus site, by an out of state fire department, and asked Fire Chief Derrell Sharp if he was interested. That was a “Yes”. And because the Port was already registered to purchase merchandise on the website, Jarkiewicz completed the sale and the City reimbursed the Port.
The seller was asked why they listed the fire engine for sale when there is a good amount of life left in it. He told them it was because it’s a stick shift, and he doesn’t have time to teach his seasonal crew members how to drive a manual transmission at the start of every season.
(Shown L-R: Port Executive Director Paul Jarkiewicz, City Fire Chief Derrell Sharp, Port Angeles City Manager Nathan West)