VIDEO: The Yakima Fire Department is celebrating the arrival of two new fire engines: one for Station 91 and another for Station 95.
Yakima Fire Chief Aaron Markham said the department ordered the engines back in August 2021, but their arrival was delayed due to supply chain issues and the company moving locations.
"Now, the timeframe to get a new apparatus built is about 800 days," Markham said. "So, this is probably going to be the new norm for the foreseeable future."
According to Markham, each engine cost $750,000, paid for by funds the City of Yakima received during the pandemic through the American Rescue Plan Act.
Markham said their older engines tend to break down more frequently and having new ones means more reliability and a reduction in maintenance costs.