Logan City (UT) Fire Department added triplets to its fleet on Monday, welcoming three new custom engines, according to a report published by the Herald Journal News.
The three engines they replace must be destroyed, however, due to the terms of a 50 percent grant the city received to cover the cost of the rigs that cost around $600,000 each, the newspaper reported.
A stipulation in the Utah Department of Environmental Quality grant focused on reducing emissions and air quality in the area, according to the newspaper. To make sure the older apparatus no longer produce pollution, they are being hauled to a local salvage yard where the frames will be cut in half and the engines destroyed by core drilling, the newspaper reported. The department has to provide video footage of the trucks being destroyed to receive the grant payment.
The apparatus, which are about 20 years old, don’t meet the current emissions standards and allowing them to remain on the road defeats the purpose of the grant, the newspaper reported. Logan firefighters are lamenting the fact that the engines are still useable and could be put in service by other fire departments but understand the terms of the agreement, according to the Hearld report.
While the frames and the engines must be destroyed, there are other parts that can be salvages to help other agencies, the newspaper reported.
The three new apparatus are exactly the same and will help standardize the fleet, the newspaper reported.