More than two years after it was ordered, the Yucca Valley Fire Department finally has its new fire truck. Sort of. The truck, which was built on the East Coast and then driven to the West Coast—and then made the rounds of firefighting conventions—arrived at Station 41 in Yucca Valley this past weekend. Managing editor Tami Roleff explains why the truck is being temporarily stored at the fire station in Yucca Mesa…
Yucca Valley’s new fire truck is so big that it doesn’t fit in the garage at Station 41 in downtown Yucca Valley, which is why it is being kept at Station 42 in Yucca Mesa. County Fire Battalion Chief Tom Marshall explained what the county is doing to get the fire truck where it belongs in the middle of Yucca Valley. “We have architecture and engineering looking at the current station right now to see what can be done, whether it’s raise the roof or drop the floor. Additionally, we’re looking at possibly building another fire station down here.”
The $800,000 fire truck includes a 79-foot extension ladder, along with several shorter ladders, and lots more firefighting tools and rescue equipment are still being added. But don’t expect to see the new truck out on calls any time soon.
“There’s a few things that have to be worked out before it’s initially into service. And that’s just mechanical set-up things to make sure everything is right. Plus the certification and inspection process it has to go through…. It’s a big project; it’ll be at least a year.”
