BY PEPPER FISHER
Clallam County — An aging fire engine with a long history of service in Clallam County has been given another shot at saving lives in Mexico.
The 1991 Pierce engine, which was originally operated by the Port Angeles Fire Department, was donated to Clallam 2 Fire Rescue in 2011 and served as a reserve engine for both departments. But after 34 years in service to our community, the engine no longer meets federal standards required for frontline use in the United States.
The original thought was that the retired engine was destined to be scrapped and parted out, but Clallam 2 Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Denton heard about a program called HERO SAVER, developed by Fire Captain Charles Jones at East Olympia Fire Department.
HERO SAVER is a Washington-based organization that supports firefighting initiatives internationally and here at home through equipment upgrades, training programs, and humanitarian and disaster relief. Through HERO SAVER’s network, the engine was matched with a department in Guanajuato, which is in central Mexico, where performance standards differ and resources are limited.
Deputy Chief Denton says it’s a good feeling knowing that the old engine is still helping communities.
“Absolutely. I mean, we know there’s still a lot of life left in this engine, but obviously we’re kind of limited with regulations here. But, down in other countries like Mexico, they desperately need equipment like this. And so, for us to be able to get a second life, essentially, for it, and we know it’s going to be put to good use down there. So we were more than happy to partner with them to get it a new home.”
In fact, the 34-year-old engine, last seen in Port Angeles as it helped “light” the way through neighborhoods while collecting Food Bank donations during Operation Candy Cane, has already responded to its first call in Guanajuato, assisting at an industrial accident involving injuries.
Clallam 2 also donated surplus wildland firefighting gear to help firefighters during wildfire incidents. While this equipment no longer meets U.S. requirements for use here at home, it remains valuable for departments in other countries.
Photos provided by Clallam 2 Fire Rescue.