In with the old, in with the new

At the same time Gresham Fire is celebrating a new home for Old Betsy, the department's modern fleet is getting upgrades to improve reliability and public safety.

• Three new fire engines are scheduled to go into service this fall, replacing engines more than 10 years old.
• Multnomah County Fire District 10, which is staffed by Gresham Fire, purchased a new brush engine for Station 76, designed for urban wildfire response.
• A new water rescue tow rig is also on the way, along with a new command vehicle and brush-fire rig.

Left: Gresham Fire personnel inspected three new fire engines at the Pierce manufacturing plant in Florida before their scheduled delivery to Gresham. Right: Gresham Fire received a donated water tank and pump that will turn a standard pickup truck into a brush-fire response vehicle. GlobalMedic and Procter & Gamble donated six systems to Oregon fire departments, including Gresham.

New equipment for changing needs

Brush units are four-wheel-drive trucks equipped for wildland fire responses and severe winter weather.

"They can get up into calls that we can't with the engine," Assistant Fire Chief Michael Traeger said. Adding another brush unit "puts us in a great position for winter storms and the summer stuff that happens."

Gresham Fire responds to a high volume of calls and has a backlog of equipment that needs replacing. Skilled fleet maintenance staff have kept rigs in service as long as possible, Traeger said. "I want the public to know we are good stewards."

Eventually, heavy use means older engines must be replaced to maintain reliability, reduce costs, improve firefighter safety, add new technology and serve a growing community.

Gresham Fire is thankful for that investment.

"If your car doesn't start in the morning and you can't get to work, that's a problem. If my vehicle doesn't start in the morning, and I can't get to your fire, that's a big problem," Traeger said.

In true fire-service tradition, each new piece of apparatus will receive a ceremonial "push" into the bay.