MENDOCINO CO., 2/10/26 — Rural residents of Mendocino and Humboldt counties rely on their fire departments to keep them safe from fire, natural disasters, and medical emergencies, but those departments, often staffed by volunteers, must make do with antiquated equipment, too little funding and calls to difficult terrain and dangerous conditions.
Now, thanks to $2 million funding secured by state Sen. Mike McGuire (D-North Coast), 10 fire departments in northern Mendocino and southern Humboldt counties have brand-new Type 6 fire trucks.
In a press conference Friday attended by a majority of the departments’ fire chiefs, McGuire explained the importance of those new engines.
“Two years ago, after meeting with fire chiefs, we moved with speed to be able to replace aging fire trucks,” he said. “Local fire districts are the first line of defense in rural communities.”
McGuire noted that the departments have been working with decades-old equipment.
“Some of these engines are older than I am,” he quipped.
A photo of a 1973 engine flashed on the screen; McGuire was born in 1979.
“This is an unprecedented investment by the state in this region, the first time ever. And it’s just in time for fire season,” McGuire said. That season, according to McGuire, is now “365 days per year.”
And in response to ruinous fires, the state has made other big changes. McGuire talked about Cal Fire’s transition of seasonal employees to twice the number of full-time employees as well as investing an additional $5 million in vegetation management over the next four years.
“Getting these new trucks is a major step forward to a fire-safe California,” McGuire said. “This has been one of my major priorities.”
Telegraph Ridge Fire Chief Tanner Speas said the outdated equipment firefighters have been working with posed a real challenge.
“Often small communities fall through the cracks,” he said. “Trying to fight fast-moving fires with 40- to 50-year-old engines was impossible. This is the first new truck that Telegraph Ridge has ever had. This is what real support looks like.”
The new engines have multiple advantages
On Saturday, Laytonville Fire Chief Greg Smith pulled out Long Valley’s new truck for a closer look. The trucks look much like an extended cab pickup with compartments on the side and rear but each chief was able to prioritize how he wanted his truck equipped. For example, Smith said the Laytonville department didn’t want a winch as it had two other vehicles with winches. Other departments chose to mount a winch on their trucks.
Smith explained the many ways in which a Type 6 vehicle, which can carry five firefighters, is perfect for rural regions.
“They’re four-wheel-drive, and they’re nimble,” he said. “They can go up these narrow steep dirt roads that our Type 3s would have a hard time with.”
Type 3s are larger engines that can also be employed off-road, but a Type 6 can maneuver turns and terrain that would challenge a Type 3. Long Valley’s Type 6 will be used for brush and wildland fires and rescues.
Smith opened up compartments in the new truck that contained medical supplies, rope, and equipment for fighting brush fires, such as coiled hoses and axes, and a Jaws of Life. Laytonville, on the U.S. Highway 101 corridor, is often called to highway accidents.
“It won’t go to structure fires,” Smith said about the Type 6. “We have other apparatus for that.”
Smith noted several amazing things about the Type 6.
“It holds 400 gallons of water. That’s just 100 gallons less than our other vehicles, but the truck is much smaller. And it just takes a Class C license to drive it,” he said.
The importance of this can’t be overstated. Most departments are staffed by volunteers who often don’t have the specialized driver’s licenses required to drive a Type 3, for example.
But, Smith cautioned, that doesn’t mean volunteers can just hop in and take off to a rescue.
“We require 16 hours of driving with a trainer, followed by three hours of driving with me,” he said. “The reason is that the driver is doing more than driving the vehicle. He is responsible for the safety of everyone in that truck. And it could be that the Type 6 will be the first vehicle on scene. That means that until other responders arrive, the driver could be the incident commander.”
During the press conference, Leggett Valley’s Chief Ely Reighter explained that volunteer fire departments are under increasing pressure on all fronts.
“The pandemic and climate change increased call volume,” Reighter said. “Training requirements are much more stringent. It costs more to keep our trucks on the road.”
He described the stress created by the old vehicles, their breakdowns and their maintenance needs.
“All this takes a toll on our members,” he said. “Having new apparatus gets us to incidents faster and reduces stress. We are fortunate to have a politician who listens. And these new trucks keep our people safe on the job.”
Reighter also noted another boon of the new engines.
“They have 100,000 mile warranties. That could last us years.”
Because fire departments have mutual aid pacts, investing in engines for ten nearby departments has an enormous impact on the region. In Humboldt County, Briceland, Garberville, Palo Verde, Telegraph Ridge, and Whitethorn received new trucks, while in Mendocino County, new engines came to Covelo, Laytonville, Leggett, Piercy, and Westport.
It’s a huge boon for the cash-strapped departments to receive the new engines.
“Our money goes to the ambulance,” Smith said.
He said about 80% of the department’s calls are medical and accidents, with 20% fire.
“Most of our residents are on Medicare or Medi-Cal,” he explained. “We get only about 35% of our costs reimbursed in ambulance expenses.”
Smith estimated the cost of the new rigs, fully tricked out, to be $200,000 each.
“All we paid for was the striping and the lettering.”