Downieville Fire Department Acquires New Utility Truck
The F-350 will tow a river pump trailer to speed water delivery during emergencies.
Members of the Downieville Volunteer Fire Department in front of the newly-acquired engine.
DOWNIEVILLE — The Downieville Volunteer Fire Department has added a 2018 Ford F-350 fire engine with 18,000 miles to its fleet. Fire Chief Robert Hall obtained the truck from the Stewartsville-Chamblissburg Volunteer Fire Department in Virginia. It was purchased for $70,000, which was entirely covered by State reimbursement money.
“I’ve always been worried about not having enough water,” says Fire Chief Robert Hall. The department already commands water tenders that hold 3,000 gallons each. They also purchased a 1,050-gallon-per-minute trailer pump last year to pull directly from rivers and creeks, but the rescue vehicle used to tow it proved insufficient. The new truck will pull that trailer, and crews can now more easily back it into access points along streams. Tenders can then refill closer to fires instead of traveling long distances back to town.
The trailer pump purchased last year by the Downieville Fire Department. Credit: Downieville Volunteer Fire Department.
The shorter resupply cycle means more water reaches the fire. During the 2025 Downie fire, water tender turnaround times reached nearly one hour. Hall says the new setup would have cut that time in half. The F-350 also carries its own pump and tank, qualifying the rig as a Type 6 wildland engine.
State prepositioning funds made the acquisition possible. The department received reimbursement from the California Office of Emergency Services for keeping equipment ready during high fire danger days. During those periods, Downieville’s trucks must be on the road within 7 minutes of a call; a requirement which, thanks to the town’s small size, the department easily meets even without having to station staff at a fire station.
Fire Chief Robert Hall tests the emergency lights of the new fire engine.
Chief Hall noted the importance of equipment variety for both structural and wildland responses. The new truck joins an existing Type 6 engine used for prepositioning and provides backup coverage for town protection. “You never have a good fire department unless you have a backup,” he said. The truck will also support larger incidents through the state system.