A small fire department in northern California has received a donation from the federal government that could have a big impact on efforts to fight wildfires.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) donated a fire engine to the Fort Bidwell Volunteer Fire Department in Moduc County, Calif., the agency announced this week.
"The fire engine is a four-wheel drive pumper capable of handling the rugged terrain of the northeast California high desert and has room for a five-person crew," the BLM states in the announcement. "It has a 500-gallon water tank and the ability to spray water or firefighting foam while moving, an important feature when fighting fast-moving rangeland fires."
Fort Bidwell Fire Chief Mark Royer said the department "really appreciate(s) this fire engine," the BLM reports.
“This donation will greatly improve our service to the community," Royer said in the announcement, "since it will be Fort Bidwell’s primary initial attack fire engine.”
The fire engine, which originally went into service in 2001 with a BLM field office in southern Modoc County, was donated through the BLM's Rural Fire Readiness program. The program provides surplus used equipment to local fire departments that assist the BLM in fighting fires on public land, according to the announcement.
“We are happy to donate this engine to the Fort Bidwell volunteers,” Dereck Wilson, manager of the BLM Northern California District, said in the announcement. “It has served the public well and still has plenty of service life.”
