Yakima Fire Department celebrates arrival of 2 new fire engines

YAKIMA, Wash. —The Yakima Fire Department is celebrating the arrival of two new fire engines: one for Station 91 and another for Station 95.

Yakima Fire Chief Aaron Markham said the department ordered the engines back in August 2021, but their arrival was delayed due to supply chain issues and the company moving locations.

"Now, the timeframe to get a new apparatus built is about 800 days," Markham said. "So, this is probably going to be the new norm for the foreseeable future."

According to Markham, each engine cost $750,000, paid for by funds the City of Yakima received during the pandemic through the American Rescue Plan Act.

Markham said their older engines tend to break down more frequently and having new ones means more reliability and a reduction in maintenance costs.

"When our third engine arrives in around late July, then we will actually surplus and retire one of those engines," Markham said. "The other two will be placed in what we call reserve status, so they'll no longer be going out."

Markham said the third new engine is the same model but since it was ordered after the first two, it was more expensive, costing about $850,000. That engine was also paid for by ARPA funds and will be going to Station 93.

The department is also in the process of ordering a fourth new engine, which Markham said they anticipate will take years to arrive and cost more than $1 million.

"That is going to be purchased out of our equipment replacement fund," Markham said. "We, a couple of years ago, established putting aside money into that fund every year for the purchase of fire engines in the future."

Markham said the new purchases bring the department closer to being on track with its fire engine replacement schedule. However, he said the next big step is getting a new ladder truck, which is going to be expensive.

"The engines are costing over a million dollars now, just because of their price increases," Markham said. "Depending on when we order it, it will be [around] $2.5 million."

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