Corvallis Fire Awarded New Wildland Fire Engine

April 17, 2023 - The Corvallis Fire Department (CFD) was awarded a new Type 6 wildland fire engine as part of a $25 million statewide engine program from the Oregon Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM).

Type 6 engines are typically built on heavy duty pickup truck frames and provide mobile firefighting capability in rugged terrain where larger vehicles cannot operate. Corvallis Fire currently operates three Type 3 engines and three Type 6 fire engines. Four of these wildland engines are owned by the Corvallis Rural Fire Protection District but are operated by CFD.

Corvallis was one of 76 local fire agencies selected as host agency to receive a piece of apparatus through the OSFM program. The application from Corvallis was evaluated by a committee of statewide fire officials. The new engine will be owned by OSFM but operated by CFD via an intergovernmental agreement.

“I’m grateful to the Oregon Office of the State Fire Marshal for awarding Corvallis a new Type 6 engine through the engine program,” said Corvallis Fire Chief Ben Janes. “This new vehicle will help increase our capabilities locally in Corvallis, particularly in our rural service area, and will give us the ability to assist other smaller agencies in Benton County and to participate in state conflagrations and still provide wildfire protection here at home.”

The OSFM engine program is a part of the agency’s Response Ready Oregon initiative, launched in 2021 to prepare, prevent, and respond to wildfires.

“This investment in the Oregon fire service is critical as the state modernizes equipment and increases firefighting capacity to respond to incidents in our communities,” Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. “Over the last three decades, more communities have been impacted by wildfire. This investment is a major step forward in carrying out our mission to protect people, property, and the environment from fire and hazardous materials.”

The Type 6 engine for Corvallis will be custom-built by Skeeter Emergency Vehicles, based in Hillsboro, Texas, with delivery anticipated in late 2023 or early 2024.

For more information on the Corvallis Fire Department, please visit www.corvallisoregon.gov/fire, or follow us on Facebook or Instagram.