April 20--WENATCHEE -- If there is a big fire in Wenatchee right now, it would take a bit longer than usual for a ladder truck to respond.
That's because the city has two key fire engines, including its ladder truck, in the repair shop and is relying on outlying fire districts for help.
"I would not say we're in danger but we will have to call for more resources from farther out." said Fire Chief Stan Smoke.
That would include calling for a ladder truck from Chelan County Fire District 1 or fire districts in Cashmere, Leavenworth, Chelan or Ephrata.
"The city shop has been working overtime on this," Smoke said. "We've got parts in and hope to have (the ladder truck) back in service within the next two weeks."
The situation has left the fire department with a 1975 rig that was rebuilt in 1994, and another engine that is 29 years old.
"Right now, those are our first-response engines," Smoke said. The department's fifth truck is a brush truck.
The situation has happened for several reasons. Mayor Frank Kuntz said the fire district has been running its big rigs on medical calls for "at least 10 years" when it should have been using smaller vehicles.
"We've worn them out," the mayor said. "The first thing we have to do is get lighter-weight vehicles out on the street, taking up call volume."
And he and Smoke agreed that the city's fire department replacement fund has not been funded for the past few years. "The money was being used for Town Toyota Center issues for several years," Kuntz said. "City officials were raiding every fund they could find, but I'm not looking backwards."
The debt-riddled arena, which was in danger of closing, received an infusion of funds from tax increases.
In a letter to the city council this week, Smoke wrote: "Fortunately, the Town Toyota Center funding, the economy, and the decreasing property and sales tax revenue have stabilized. It is imperative that the mayor and council begin funding apparatus replacement and support a replacement strategy for the department's aging fleet."
Smoke said there is about $400,000 in the apparatus replacement fund now. A new fire engine runs between $300,000 and $500,000, and a new ladder truck would cost $800,000 to $1 million.
Smoke said he thinks the 19-year-old ladder truck should have been rotated out of first-line work about five years ago, and the fire engine should be replaced next year. "That engine is still within 10 years old but it's had more maintenance issues than we'd like with it," he said.
Repair work needed on the trucks are fixing a broken frame on the engine, and fixing the rear suspension on the ladder truck.
The city has bought a new, smaller rig to go on medical calls, the officials said, and it's expected to be in service in the next couple of weeks.
On Tuesday, the fire department had to borrow an engine and driver from Douglas County Fire District 2. That was to allow a Civil Service exam to go forward for a Wenatchee Fire Department driver.
Dee Riggs: 664-7147
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