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Metchosin’s new fire engine should be up and running in October

Final inspection in Alberta in September before coming to the West Shore
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Council approved $100,000, including retrofits, for Metchosin Fire Department to buy a replacement truck. (Metchosin Fire Department/Facebook)

Metchosin’s new fire engine will hopefully be up and running by October.

Fire Chief Stephanie Dunlop said finding an engine was hard going, but the one they’ve bought is set to be brought from a dealership in the U.S. up to Red Deer, Alta., where she’ll travel to make final inspections of the truck in September.

“We’ve ordered one, but just due to COVID and the supply and demand and all that we haven’t received it yet.”

The engine cost $701,000 and replaces the department’s Engine 9, which was used primarily for relay water pumping.

The money for that was set out in the fire department’s replacement plan and the department originally put out the request for a new engine in July 2020.

The department also bought a new duty truck – an F150.

Metchosin council approved $100,000 to spend on a new truck back in January and the department luckily found one that month. Dunlop said the department needed a quick turnaround on that vehicle because the duty truck is the one most often on the road.

The old truck was damaged in a crash. While it could have been repaired, the district opted not to because it would be costly and the truck was already scheduled to be replaced this year, Dunlop said back in January. While the truck has been out of operation, the fire department has occasionally been using other municipal vehicles when possible, like the building inspector’s truck, but they are not up to standard, including not having proper safety lights.

READ MORE: Metchosin approves $100,000 to spend on new fire truck

ALSO READ: Metchosin Fire Department sizes up new recruits


 

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