Years in the making, Clearwater Fire Dept.’s new Engine 12 arrived in May. Training on the new engine has been completed and it’s now ready to go out and help save lives and property.

The decision to begin looking for a new truck began when the department’s original Engine 12 began to have issues, and a lot of money was being spent in an attempt to keep it functional.

“Every time it left the firehall I wondered if it would have to be towed back,” said Fire Chief Ryan Pridgeon. 

Volunteers spent two years on research, after which a fire truck committee was formed to further narrow down and determine what was needed. For the next two years more research was conducted and numerous trucks were looked at before the group found one that fit what they were looking for in Golden Valley.

“It had 95% of what we wanted,” said Pridgeon. “We took their blueprints and added a few of our own modifications.”

The department averages around 260 calls a year, with the two biggest calls being for medical and anything involving a motor vehicle. Many of those occur on the interstate, so the structure of the new engine and the pressure of its pump system were important considerations.

“When we were testing the truck we based ours off of we put out a car fire with just 10 gallons of water,” said Pridgeon. “Typically it takes several hundred to a thousand gallons. Think about how beneficial that will be for winter on the freeway, which is the most dangerous place for a firefighter. The less ice we create and the faster we can get everyone off the safer we’ll all be.”

Before the arrival of the new engine, when the fire department went out to a call on the freeway, they had to bring two trucks – one just to act as a blocker from the vehicles traveling past. Although that will be continued, if necessary, the new engine can be its own blocker, essentially taking on two roles.

The new engine also has a battery operated jaws of life cut and spreader combination set. Traditionally they’re hydraulic and heavy, taking three firefighters to carry and two to operate. The new set is so light one firefighter can operate it. It also uses off-the-shelf batteries, which saves the department money by not having to purchase expensive specialized batteries for it.

The Clearwater Lions covered around half the cost of the new set with their $25,000 donation to the fire department.

Once it arrived in May, the firefighters had to be trained on the new engine, mostly to get familiar with the new technology, but also to drive it.

“It’s a different style of truck,” said Pridgeon. “It drives just like a bus. Most of our firefighters had to go through ‘driver’s ed’ to learn how to drive it.”

The last step before being put into use was to transfer equipment from the old truck to the new, which was completed a couple of weeks ago. 

The life span for the new engine is estimated to be a minimum of 20 years. The department’s old Engine 12, now 22 years old, will be evaluated to see what can be fixed and then sold. 

“It’s the perfect truck for smaller fire departments up north that only go on a few calls a year,” said Pridgeon.

He expressed thanks to all the firefighters and to the citizens who reached out and showed interest.

“A lot of people put in a lot of work,” he said.

The Clearwater Fire Dept. is always looking for firefighters. Anyone who would like to apply is encouraged to stop by city hall to pick up an application.