Lacey Fire District secures new engines, delivery lags

Fire engines are built for urgency, but getting them into service has turned into a waiting game in the City of Lacey. 

The Lacey Fire District confirmed in a statement on Monday, March 3, that the agency’s latest apparatus will not hit the streets until late 2025 due to a three-year procurement ordeal. 

“Because of supply chain challenges and demand for new apparatus, the entire purchase process will have been three years,” the district said in a statement.

According to the fire department, the incoming Engine 31 will replace the district’s current 2016 Pierce velocity pumper. 

“The District has contracted with Hughes Fire Equipment for the purchase of our newest fire engine,” the statement read. 

The district also confirmed two additional fire engines were ordered in December 2024, but they are not expected to arrive until the second quarter of 2029.  

“A 53-month order and delivery window” is now the reality, the district said. The mentioned new units will take the place of Engine 32 and Engine 33 once they finally arrive. 

In terms of maintaining effectiveness and efficiency, the district stated the vehicles follow a standardized fleet design. 

“Each of the (district’s) front line apparatus and reserves apart from Engine 32 are virtually identical in design, specification, and performance capability,” the district said. 

The district further elaborated, “With each new engine, minor updates to the design and performance take place.” 

Meanwhile, the fire department confirmed that the seasoned workhorses won’t be scrapped or left to rust.

Instead, they will transition into reserve duty, standing by to fill in when frontline trucks require repairs or maintenance. The engines will still be in service and ready to roll out whenever gaps in the fleet arise. 

Even though the timeline is far from the expected acquisition time frame, the district is staying the course on keeping Lacey’s fire services strong and fully equipped. 

“Although these timelines are challenging, the District is grateful to have and maintain such a quality emergency response fleet, that serves the Lacey Community every day,” the district said.