Need for fire truck sets up clash

Last year, when a fork-lift driver ran over a fire sprinkler pipe at Opportunity Center, little did he know he would set in motion a piece of legislation now being proposed in the state Senate.

Trying to dry things out that night, someone left on a heater. Cardboard fell on it. Result: a four-alarm fire in the strip mall at Sprague and Pines.

To fight it, Spokane Valley Fire District crews needed something that could stretch across nearby power lines and rain water down on the blaze.

They called for the biggest ladder truck around, a 100-foot pumper owned by the city fire department.

"It's what essentially put the fire out," said Mark Grover, interim chief of the Spokane Valley Fire District.

In the wake of that blaze, Valley Fire decided it wanted such a truck for itself. But getting one - legally - presents some problems.

State road weight restrictions ban such vehicles - even fire trucks - as too heavy. The Spokane Fire Department's older ladder truck is grandfathered in because it was in use before the weight restrictions were put in place.

"Washington has the most stringent weight restrictions in the entire nation," said Grover. Help may be on the way from Olympia.

At the request of Valley Fire commissioners, state Sen. Bob McCaslin, R-Fourth District, has filed a bill to exempt emergency vehicles from such weight limits.

"In one way, we want to protect the roads from constant weight," McCaslin said. "But these are vehicles to protect the health and safety of citizens. They're not pounding the streets all day."

The state Department of Transportation (DOT) sees it differently.

Barry Diseth, administrator for motor carrier services for the state DOT, said he will oppose McCaslin's bill, as it is written, because it simply eliminates weight restrictions.

Diseth said overweight vehicles can damage roads and weaken bridges.

He said he plans to testify against McCaslin's bill. No hearings been scheduled yet.

Diseth said he is sympathetic to the fire district's cause.

"We do empathize with the fire district and their needs," he said. "We know you need certain types of equipment to fight certain types of fires."

That is exactly the point, according to Valley Fire Marshal Paul Chase.

Over the last couple of years, there have been numerous fires in the Valley in which the long reach of a 100-foot pumper ladder could have helped tremendously, he said.

The district is pressing ahead. A new pumper ladder truck has been ordered, and should be in Spokane by the end of this year.

The district is also hedging its bets. Grover said he recently received a letter from the Washington State Patrol, indicating that, in this particular case, the oversize fire truck would be allowed.

"A lot of fire equipment weighs more than the legal limits," according to Valley Fire Commissioner Ronald Schmidt. "I think some of the big districts like Seattle will need this bill too."

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