The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District board of directors Nov. 10 unanimously approved a $1.6 million purchase of emergency firefighting apparatus, adding extra power to the district fleet to tackle an expected challenging 2021 fire season.
"This equipment is purposed for our high-risk wildfire areas, like in northern Lafayette," district spokesman Steve Hill said.
Fire Chief Lewis Broschard explained the specific uses for each of the five new emergency response vehicles.
The district's first ever emergency crew transport vehicle will be used to support the Fire Control Worker program, allowing for the transport of an entire 12-person crew to an incident instead of relying on multiple smaller vehicles.
The apparatus purchase includes two Type III wildland fire engines, a typical wildland engine used by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and often seen on the highways running between incidents.