08/10/2026
It was great to see everyone out at the parade and Moxee Hop Festival supporting local businesses and vendors. I also had the opportunity to talk with folks and one question that came up a couple of times was “how often do we replace our apparatus?”
The fire service has a national organization that creates standards for almost everything a fire department does or uses, the National Fire Protection Association. Here are the recommendations from the NFPA for fire apparatus replacement:
Fire Engine – Frontline Service: 15 years, Reserve Service:10 years (25-year in-service life)
Ladder Truck – Frontline Service: 15 years, Reserve Service:10 years (25-year in-service life)
Brush Engine – Frontline Service: 15 years, Reserve Service:10 years (25-year in-service life)
Water Tender – Frontline Service: 15 years, Reserve Service:10 years (25-year in-service life)
Based on current call volume, the East Valley Fire Department does its best to adhere to this schedule. With the continuous changes in safety features and technologies built into the trucks, keeping apparatus current assists us in creating a safe, efficient, and cost-effective fleet for our firefighters. However, vehicles such as our brush engines, which do not see everyday use, see longer service life’s due to low mileage, good maintenance, and only seasonal use.
With a fire engine costing $750,000+ and a ladder truck in excess of $1,000,000, you might ask how the department achieves this standard; good fiscal management. Your Board of Fire Commissioners has set fiscal policies where we fund our contractual obligations within reasonable levels, as well as the necessary reserve accounts before any other line item receives a penny. This fiscal roadmap allows us to ensure we are living within the resources provided by the community (only coming to the community every six years for a levy lid lift), our fleet is current, our career staff is competitive with like-sized agencies (assisting in employee retention) and making sure our Volunteer Firefighters are taken care of.
However, NONE of this could be achieved without the support of the East Valley community. I have worked or volunteered in four different communities during my career, and the East Valley community is by far the most supportive I have experienced, thank you.
Please continue to be fire safe out there!!!
