Oakridge VFD battles grass fire right after picking up new engine

Oakridge Volunteer Fire Department stopped to fight a grass fire with Columbus Fire Department on Interstate 10 West while driving back from picking up a donated fire engine, Thursday, Sept. 25.

Oakridge VFD Chief Wayne Wolfford and firefighter Dane Stewart drove their newly acquired fire engine donated by Westlake Fire Department in Katy back home. The engine’s water tank was still filled about twothirds, enough for the duo to fight a grass fire split across two sections near mile marker 697.

“At first, we just saw the traffic backed up. Then, we saw the smoke…We got closer and saw it was a grass fire,” Stewart said. “I looked at him; he looked at me and said, ‘You want to put it out?’ I said, ‘Seems like the thing to do.’” Columbus Police Department had already arrived at the scene to close down one of the two interstate lanes because of the smoke. Columbus Volunteer Fire Department arrived with four firefighters, minutes after Wolford and Stewart. Columbus VFD Chief Richard LaCourse said he was confused at first by the presence of the engine still marked as Westlake but welcomed Oakridge VFD’s aid. The two departments extinguished the fire in around 20 minutes.

“Anytime, it’s like working with your own fire department because we all have the same common goal at any fire,” LaCourse said.

LaCourse attributed the fire to someone dragging a piece of metal, like a chain, or an 18-wheeler having a blowout. He cautioned that burn conditions will worsen under the continued dry spell and winter season. LaCourse advised residents to follow the burn ban and to pull over if experiencing a mechanical failure as a driver.

“When we are on the road, keep a visual eye on us [firefighters],” LaCourse said. “We move along the fire, but sometimes we don’t pay attention to the traffic coming upon us to be careful in slowdown while we are on scene.”

Oakridge’s new engine, a 2013 model, will replace their current 2003 fire engine and features numerous new options, equipment and electronics. Stewart said the engine will be entered into service in about two months after the department finishes training.

“We had more people show up for drill [Thursday] to see the new firetruck than we’ve ever had,” Stewart said. “…They crawled all over it, opened every door, punched every button…They were all over like a bunch of kids at Christmas.”

Oakridge acquired the free engine from Westlake in under a week. According to Stewart, a resident near Oakridge VFD spoke to a friend at an event who mentioned that Westlake was looking to donate one of their reserve engines. The resident spoke to Wolfford who arranged the donation. Before purchasing their 2003 model for $10,000, Oakridge operated an engine from 1988.

“This one is not just a step up. It’s several steps up from what we had,” Stewart said.