DOI Transfers Wildland Fire Engines to Two Rural Utah Fire Departments
SALT LAKE CITY — The Department of the Interior transferred wildland fire engines to two rural Utah fire departments last week through the Rural Fire Readiness program, strengthening wildfire response capacity for rural communities and nearby BLM-managed public lands.
The Snowville Volunteer Fire Department received a Type 6 engine on April 28. The 2012 Ford F-550 carries a 313-gallon water tank and will support rapid wildfire response across the department's roughly 1,600-square-mile service area in northwestern Utah and southern Idaho. Snowville had relied on a 1999 Type 4 engine for decades, with limited ability to upgrade.
On May 1, the Vernon Fire Department received a 2011 International 7400 water tender which carries an 800-gallon water tank and will improve response times in central Utah. The Type 4 engine replaces Vernon's Type 3 engine that had become unreliable and costly to maintain.
"This transfer gives us another strategic resource in a remote area, where fires can go hours before they are reported," said Pila Malolo, West Desert District Assistant Fire Management Officer for the U.S. Wildland Fire Service. "The engines will decrease response times so we can manage the fire quickly and achieve full suppression as fast as possible."
For more information about the engine transfers, read our blog: New Life for the Front Lines: How Surplus Engines are Saving Utah’s West Desert
More information about the Rural Fire Readiness program is available at blm.gov/programs/public-safety-and-fire/rural-fire-readiness-program.
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.