Wildland Fire Engine for Blanding Fire Department

The Blanding City Fire Department recently received a Type 6 wildland fire engine. The engine was transferred from the United States Wildland Fire Service as part of the Rural Fire Readiness program, which aims to strengthen wildfire response capacity in rural areas that are nearby Department of Interior-managed lands.
The Blanding City Fire Department received a Type 6 engine, a Ford F-550 that was transferred from the USWFS Great Basin Unit 12 Vernal Station. It has a 313- gallon water tank and will support wildfire response in remote areas of San Juan County.
“Wildland fires have gotten to the point where we cannot do this alone,” said Chris Deets, Unit Chief for Great Basin Unit 12. “Part of this program is to ensure that the equipment is getting into the right hands and is in good shape when we hand it off. We hope this is the start of us working together more frequently with the Blanding Fire Department.”
“There are times during the active fire season when the monsoons come in and we have three or four calls at a time. Having this extra apparatus will greatly benefit the City of Blanding and the surrounding lands of San Juan County. We are excited to have it and put it to use”, said Corey Spillman, Blanding City Fire Chief.