With new fire truck, department can reach tall structures

Columbia Falls will soon have its new fire truck in service.

The department bought a 2002 HME-Central States quint earlier this year from a dealership in Connecticut. It features a 105-foot ladder, a 500 gallon water tank, a pump that can handle 2,000 gallons of water per minute, and a host of fire hoses and ground ladders.

The $134,500 truck was a joint purchase between the city and rural departments and the costs were shared between the two entities, noted chief Rick Hagen. The department has always needed a ladder truck, he noted.

Both F.H. Stoltze and Weyerhaeuser both have tall buildings and more recently, the city has added several tall apartments and condominiums, with more in the works.

Firefighters have been training with the new truck and it should be pressed into service in August, if need be.

The truck has just 31,000 miles and 2,693 hours. The department sent out a mechanic to inspect the truck before they bought it, Hagen said. The mechanic came up with a punchlist of items that needed to be fixed. The dealer agreed to fix them and even had a driver bring it out to Montana for $3,500.

A new quint, Hagen noted, was way outside the department’s budget — $800,000 to $1 million.

The quint won’t go out on all calls — the department has more practical engines for things like accidents and single story structure fires, Hagen noted.

But the ladder will come in handy for rescues and fires that can’t be accessed easily. The ladder nozzle can shoot water more than 365 feet.

The department is currently recruiting volunteers. It would like to have 31 total, Hagen said. Candidates must be 18, live in the fire district and pass a background check and physical.

The district is a big one — it extends from the Flathead River to the Whitefish River and north to the Forest Service boundary and south to the airport.

Crews also routinely respond to mutual aide with other departments.