Applying for $390,000: City seeks fire truck grant

Colfax fire department plans to seek a $390,000 grant for the purchase of a new fire truck, Chief Ralph Walter reported at Monday night’s city council meeting. The new purchase would replace the 1980 GMC truck which was purchased from the WSU fire department after approximately 10 years of use with the now-closed campus department.

The GMC is a four-wheel-drive truck which was purchased by Colfax for improved coverage for the hilly parts of the Colfax landscape. The rural fire district contributed half the purchase cost of the truck to have the truck available for combating rural fires in tough locations.

The GMC is one of the trucks which was put back on line after being damaged in the Colfax station fire in June of 2000. It remains the lone fire survivor still on line in the station.

Ken McNaughton, former city fireman who remains in the volunteer corps, has prepared the grant application which will go to the firefighters’ assistance program of the Department of Homeland Security.

McNaughton said the key reason for undertaking the project was continued problems the department has encountered from the 32-year-old truck. Some of performance shortcomings stem from the 2000 station fire, and a lot of it has to do with the age of the truck.

Fire crews encountered problems with the truck at the last two major fires in Colfax, the Persons shop fire on the Walla Walla Highway and the Mitz’ Cabinet shop fire on Main Street.

Chief Walter also reported repairs had been completed on the department’s number-one pumper truck. Seals on the truck’s water pumper were replaced. The pumper was off-line for a day and a half while the new seals were placed in the pump.