The Pauls Valley Fire Department welcomed a new engine to their fleet last week.
The 2026 Sutphen Classic Engine will serve as the department’s Engine 2, replacing a 1999-model fire engine that was sold through a bid process to a department in a neighboring county last year.
Pauls Valley Fire Chief Scott Woods said getting the truck to the station has been about a four-year process. The purchase was originally approved in late 2021 or early 2022, according to Woods, but delivery of the custom-built engine was slowed due to shortages caused by the pandemic.
In that time, costs have also increased significantly. The engine’s price tag, locked in at the 2021-2022 price of just over $699,000, would be closer to $1.2 million if ordered today, Woods said.
“We’re glad it’s finally here. It’s a good asset for the department, and I’m glad for our fire fighters to have good equipment to work with.” Woods said.
The new engine can carry 1,000 gallons of water and can pump up to 1,250 gallons per minute.
Woods said the engine can be used to fight structure fires, as a tanker truck on large grass fires or to protect structures during a grass fire by positioning the engine between wildfire and a structure. It will also be used to respond to auto accidents and for larger rescue needs like semitrailer rollovers.
“There’s a multitude of uses, and it gives us a peace of mind over a 30-year-old truck,” Woods said.
The new engine is similar in capacity to the one it is replacing, Woods said, but the older truck’s pumps were worn and no longer able to meet pump test requirements.
The new engine’s capacity, and the new pumps, will help the city to continue to keep its current ISO rating of 3/3Y, according to Woods. ISO ratings are a score of 1-10 assigned to a community’s fire protection capabilities. The lower the number the better the protection. A rating of 2-3 is generally considered to be excellent fire protection.
Woods said fire fighters are still outfitting and stocking the new engine, and he expects it to be in service within the next couple of weeks.
With the addition of Engine 2, the fire department’s fleet now includes two engines, one tanker, two grass fire rigs, a 75-foot ladder truck, a gator used in fighting wildfires and a squad truck.
