Fire District 26 Assistant Chief Ernie Walters and Lt. Scott Coulson flew to Florida to pick up the agency's new fire engine on Tuesday, May 23. The 2015 Pierce Saber Pumper was purchased from Wisconsin-based Pierce Manufacturing, Inc. for roughly $400,000, Walters said. It will take four to five days for Walters and Coulson to drive the vehicle the nearly 3,200 miles back to Fire Station 54 in Gold Bar, he said.
The new engine will serve many purposes, Walters said. It will be used for fire suppression, it will have an extrication tool to assist in car collisions, and will be stocked with the equipment necessary to perform technical rescues, he said.