Woodside Fire Protection District announces wildland drill and delivery of new Type 1 engine

Deputy Fire Chief Vince Nanini of the Woodside Fire Protection District updated the Portola Valley Emergency Preparedness Committee on June 4 about wildfire-preparedness activities and equipment.

Nanini said the department will run a multi-agency wildland drill June 8 13 in the Los Tranos area and has publicized the exercise to neighboring agencies and residents. He told the committee a new Type 1 engine will be delivered the following day and is expected to enter service within weeks; the engine will replace Engine 7 in Woodside while Engine 8 was replaced last year.

Nanini described ongoing fuel-mitigation work in Los Tranos funded by a grant and credited former fire marshal Ania for assistance securing the funding. He also said three new lateral firefighter-paramedics completed onboarding and are now on shift.

Explaining vehicle categories, Nanini said a Type 1 engine is a standard on-road apparatus with a minimum pump capacity of 1,500 gallons per minute, while Type 3 engines are smaller, off-road apparatus that carry about 500 250 gallons of water depending on configuration. He estimated current Type 1 engine procurement costs at about $1.2 million and noted the multi-year lead time on specifications and delivery.

Committee members asked questions about costs and deployment; the update concluded with committee members thanking the fire district for the briefing.