Kathe Tanner
The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, Calif.)
(TNS)
Jul. 24—Some North Coast firefighters are temporarily using a Paso Robles fire apparatus because the Cambria Fire Department’s two primary trucks both developed mechanical problems at the same time.
Such mechanical issues are pretty common for vehicles that get such heavy use, Michael Burkey, chief of the Cambria department, told The Tribune.
“The first engine went out with a brake issue, and while it’s down waiting for parts, the second one developed a fuel-delivery problem,” he said Tuesday morning about the Cambria equipment.
He called various other departments in the county looking for a loaner, only to find that San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay also have engines out for repairs.
While this kind of cooperative venture is common for fire departments, “during fire season, spare engines are hard to come by,” the chief said.
The 2017 and 2007 engines are still well within their service lifespans according to state regulations, Burkey said.
He and Matthew McElhenie, general manager of the Cambria Community Services District, thanked the Paso department and city personnel for their “quick response and willingness to assist us,” as McElhenie said in an email to district customers.
“Their support exemplifies the spirit of community and collaboration that we highly value,” he wrote.
Such a loan isn’t part of the departments’ usual mutual aid agreements, Burkey said, but is more “working in unison with each other, part of a greater-good mentality.”
Cambria Fire is a department of the Cambria services district.
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