First High-Axle Rescue Vehicles Arrive at OR Fire Departments

Feb. 4—The state has awarded six fire departments across Oregon with new high-axle, all-terrain vehicles. Clatsop County received two of them.

The Warrenton Fire Department and the Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District acquired the rigs in January through grants from the state's Office of Emergency Management.

The vehicles are capable of accessing flooded areas, performing water rescues and fighting fires. Benches in the flatbed allow firefighters to relocate a large number of people in an emergency.

Both fire departments applied for the grants several years ago, but recent flooding and wildfire conditions made the vehicles all the more needed.

"It has been a long time coming," Cannon Beach Fire Chief Marc Reckmann said.

Cannon Beach's fire district plans to utilize the new vehicle for multiple purposes, but it will primarily serve as a brush rig running out of the Arch Cape Fire Station. Since firefighters have easier beach access in Cannon Beach, Reckmann thought it would be of better use in Arch Cape.

The fire district plans to install a removable tank and pump system, as well as a water filtration system to pull from streams in the event of a water system failure.

Warrenton will also add a tank and pump system to its vehicle, Warrenton Fire Chief Brian Alsbury said, once the city is able to fit it into the budget. The vehicle will also be used for navigating sand dunes. The fire department has relied on mutual aid and Camp Rilea for help in the past.

"That's really our biggest, troubling spot is being able to get into the dunes and into the shore pines and really thick stuff where big problems can happen if we don't get on it right away," Alsbury said.

While the vehicles, constructed by a company in Bend, will be under management by the fire districts, the state has the option to request them elsewhere if an emergency occurs.

The addition of the all-terrain vehicle, Alsbury said, is a part of his push to bolster the city's wildland response and rescue capabilities.

"You've seen in the last few years, how these big fires are happening in Oregon and we're drying out," he said. "The last two summers have been pretty dry ... Unfortunately, our future is getting warmer and things are drying out quicker and staying dryer longer, and that basically is building a perfect storm in a way.

"I want to be ready for it. I want to stop it before it gets here. I'm trying to do as much as I can to protect the community."

To test the rig's effectiveness, Alsbury took it to a spot the fire department has always had problems with — the road that divides Fort Stevens State Park from Camp Rilea and turns into Strawberry Knoll. The area is filled with deep holes. Alsbury was impressed with its performance.

"We powered right through that stuff," he said. "It's a remarkable vehicle. I think we were pretty fortunate to get it."

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