CLEARLAKE>>> This Thursday at the Judge’s Breakfast in Clearlake, the Lake County Fire Protection District brought out two of their fire trucks giving everyone a full rundown and tour of engine 7011. Fire Chief William Sapeta was joined by Battalion Chief Marc Hill and Fire Captain and Mechanic Kyle Shields in fielding questions and also inviting attendees to try on gear.
Shields gave an overview of their entire fleet, where Clearlake resident Mike Salter asked, “How many vehicles are in the fleet?” Shields said, “Without the list in front of me, I believe we have about 25 vehicles in total.” The fleet is comprised of different fire engines, response vehicles, ambulances, and water tenders. Local resident Russ Kramer asked how much maintenance the department takes care of in house. Shields responded, “Unless something is under warranty still, I do about 90 percent. All the major general repairs are done in house.” He continued to explain that other jobs require specialized tools that must be outsourced for repair. “As you know, more newer vehicles have so many dealer specific issues and they are the only ones that can fix them, or have the programming to do it, it’s getting really proprietary in that way.”
Explaining the origins of these vehicles Shields detailed the process of obtaining a fire engine, either starting new, which he shared “…is like building a house.” He said one must customize the chassis, engine – everything from the wheels up. “Or you can purchase them used,” which is the route that the LCFPD chose for their last purchase of a used engine from 1995. They have chosen to custom build some of their vehicles including their water tender for the Lower Lake station that differs in its holding tank and pump size. The entirety of the vehicle’s design is built for ease of use, making a fire fighter’s job go as smoothly as possible.
Shields also shared some of the main differences in their two types of fire engines – type 1 which is for structural fires and type 3 used for woodland fires. Several differences may seem obvious, like a type 3 engine having the ability to traverse in four-wheel drive over rough or mountainous terrain while a type 1 is better suited on pavement. A type 1 engine can also carry much more fire house and a few more people than a type 3. There are also differences in the gear firefighters must utilize on these different engines, where a type 1 structural fire requires a heavier duty suit that weighs around 40 pounds, with an additional breathing apparatus that can weigh up to 55 pounds. Shields shared “I believe the average with your full set of turnouts on, boots, helmet, air pack – it’s close to 100 pounds additional to your body weight.” The woodland gear is a lot lighter, being worn atop everyday clothing instead of thick thermal under layers.
The team gave a full tour of E7011, which Shields began by explaining how the engine’s number is used to identify itself, wherein E7011 means that this is E is for engine, 70 for station 70 which is the Clearlake location, and 11 which means is one for the apparatus (type one) and one for the sequential unit number (first responding unit). This engine has over 100 feet of two different types of hoses, one larger than the other intended for more commercial use. There are also backpack style hose units which are used to extend that hose pipe in smaller sections carried by firefighters. The vehicle also features ember resistant tarps used for salvaging one’s belongings in a fire and minimizing damage done to parts untouched by flames. There’s are clamps for engineers to direct water instantly, hand tools like axes, breathing apparatus and back up bottles of oxygen – dozens of items at the ready to assist in the unpredictable job that fighting fire can be.
Sapeta mentioned how busy they all stay. “There’s never any down time… it’s a 24-7 operation,” he said, sharing how diverse their district is. There are many days his team will see multiple types of response calls for example, a vehicular accident response and battling a wildfire in the same day. They also face both structure fire and wildfires simultaneously, as Chief Sapeta said, “The one unique thing about our department is the diversity. The experience they get here they don’t get anywhere else.” He showed a deep gratitude for staff expressing “My job is easy, it’s these guys who are out in the field, the boots on the ground who are putting these fires out.” He added that, “My personnel are really super aggressive, and I’m proud of them.”
