Firefighters in the Morongo Basin have a “new” addition to their firefighting fleet. Fire Station 36 in Joshua Tree took possession of a 1994 four-wheel drive brush engine that once belonged to County Fire Station 96 in Fawnskin. The brush engine’s water tank can pump 500 gallons a minute and is equipped with a foam system and a full complement of wildland firefighting hose, tools, and related equipment. The South Desert Division, which includes the Morongo Basin to the Arizona state line, currently has one four-wheel drive brush engine, which is housed at Station 41 in Yucca Valley. With the potential annexation of the Twentynine Palms Fire Department by the county, the department recognized the need for additional resources to fight wildland fires in the Morongo Basin area.
