As fire engines become older and outdated, they eventually need to be replaced. On April 11 of this year, the Tomahawk Fire Department replaced Engine 5 with a brand-new truck.
Fire Chief Paul Winter has been serving with the Tomahawk Fire Department for 28 years and about nine months ago became their newest Fire Chief. He said that Tomahawk rotates replacing all their engines every 27-28 years, one about every five years.
Winter said when an engine is about 25 years old, they start working with a builder to design a new one. By the time they design the engine and get it through the quote process and choose a supplier to build it, it’s about a three-year process.
Around the end of this year, they will begin the process of replacing the next engine. They will begin discussing how Engine 3 serves the department and ask themselves if they need anything different on it than what they have now.