Homer Fire Looks to Replace Aging Trucks With More Efficient Truck

The Homer Fire Department is continuing their effort to make the department more efficient for responding to emergencies with their vehicle fleet. The department is planning to replace their 1993 Ford F-350 Brush Truck and their 2004 Spartan, Engine 501, with a new International truck with a Darley pump.

The 1993 Brush Truck, 511, responds to about 3% of Homer Fire’s calls, which are brush fire calls. X101 News spoke with Homer Chief Riley who said the number of calls for brush fires has been lower, crediting the burn bans that are put in place during dry spells within the county.

Engine 501’s main function with the department is setting up a draft site for water with tanker trucks, 1st Assistant Chief for Homer Fire Stockwin told X101 News. Engine 501 also responds to mutual aid calls.

“We can get one truck to do two things… the price [of new trucks] has gone up.” Chief Riley said when referring to the purchase of one new truck replacing two currently in service.

The planned replacement truck will be International with a custom built body suited for the Homer Fire Department. The truck will have a 400 gallon water tank, 25 gallon foam tank, a pumper, and all the equipment needed for the department. Chief Riley says the truck will have everything you’d see on a full-sized engine such as Engine 502 and what is on Truck 511.

Costs for a new fire engine and the time to build said engine have gone up significantly since the pandemic. The average cost for a new fire engine is well above a million dollars with over a 1,000 days (nearly 3 years) to build and deliver from the order date. The purchase of the new truck will provide significant savings for the department, the new truck is estimated to cost around $520,000. The Homer Fire Department has looked at other options in terms of where to purchase their next truck, but the International stood out, especially with the step process of using the pumper on the vehicle. Chief Riley told X101 News, the International Truck has a 3-step process to put in pump gear (like a full-size engine). He continued on to say other truck proposals had a 10 or even 12-step process with one also having a potential issue on set-up if the parking brake is accidentally hit, the truck would shut down. The fewer steps, the less risk for error and fast response to applying water to a fire.

Another benefit to purchasing a smaller truck is its capability to respond to areas where the roadway would otherwise be too small for a full engine. The new truck would also be within the weight limits of the Pine Street Bridge in the Village of Homer. In 2024, Homer Fire responded to 600 calls, Riley said.

Currently, the Homer Fire Department is in discussions with the Town of Homer, who are interested in contributing to the purchase of a new truck. A final number of how much the town would contribute has not yet been determined. Once the numbers have been determined, the department will start the steps towards the purchase of the new truck.