On Wednesday afternoon, a shiny new fire engine rolled off the Tahlequah ferry dock, bound for its new home at Vashon Island Fire & Rescue’s Station 55 at Bank Road.

At the station, Vashon’s firefighters and EMTs were waiting in formation to greet the rig — and once it was parked, eagerly swarmed around, atop, and inside it, checking out all its features.

The public will have a chance to see the rig up close from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, when the fire district hosts host a family-friendly open house at the station, located at 10020 SW Bank Rd. The event will include pancakes and coffee, Sparky the Fire Dog, a fire station bounce house, fire prevention exhibits, and — of course — tours of the new fire truck.

The handsome modern apparatus can carry 725 gallons of water and 25 gallons of foam, deliverable to fire scenes with a 1500-gallon-per-minute pump — a significant upgrade from the engine it replaced.

In early October, fire district commissioners voted unanimously to approve the purchase of the new engine at a total cost of $886,000, including sales tax.

The engine was purchased with funds taken from the district’s fleet reserve fund, resulting in a pre-payment discount of approximately $25,000.

Their board’s decision came on the heels of learning that two of the district’s engines at that time — both 23 years old — had failed their annual pump tests and were immediately taken out of service. Given the advanced age and condition of the aging vehicles, the district authorized the repair of only one of them, which will now be parked at the district’s Station 56, in Burton.

The new engine, a stock Pierce Enforcer Pumper truck purchased from Hughes Fire Equipment in Tacoma, was readied for service by Pierce Manufacturing, at its Florida plant.

From there, the engine made a cross-country trip to Hughes Fire Equipment headquarters in Tacoma, for some slight customization both inside and outside the vehicle, including making it a bit more rugged for use in a rural island setting.

Originally expected to arrive in August, the truck took just over a month longer to arrive on Vashon. But still, Fire Chief Matt Vinci said, the island was extremely fortunate to get it as fast as it did.

“There are a lot of agencies that are waiting three, four years for a build of this truck,” he said. “We were able to get a stock build slot and make some modifications to make that truck come onto Vashon — so we’re excited.”

Larry Elliott, the service manager for Hughes Fire Equipment who drove the fire truck off the ferry and up Vashon Highway to Station 55, concurred, saying the demand for stock trucks was extremely high.

That very morning, he said, his company had sold four stock ladder trucks in four hours, at $1.5 million each.

“As soon as [stock trucks] become available, people are snapping them up,” he said.

With the purchase made possible by the passage of the fire district’s levy measure last year, the new fire truck is a life-saving acquisition, said Vinci.

“Our staff have a really solid piece of equipment to carry out their mission, and that’s what we ask them to do every day they come into work,” he said. “So number one, it has a public safety impact, a firefighter safety impact, and ultimately, what’s best to have the best possible outcome for the citizens we serve 24/7/365,” he said.

Lieutenant Brad John climbed atop the engine on Wednesday afternoon. (Elizabeth Shepherd photo)

Larry Elliott, the service manager for Hughes Fire Equipment, in Tacoma, was behind the wheel as the new fire engine made its way north on Vashon Highway toward its new home — Vashon Island Fire & Rescue’s Station 55, on Bank Road. (Elizabeth Shepherd photo)

Fire Chief Matt Vinci (left) and Division Chief Ben Davidson were all smiles outside the truck at Inspiration Point, minutes after it had arrived on Vashon. (Elizabeth Shepherd photo)

Mike Bredice, the fire district’s fleet manager (facing camera), looked like a kid in a candy store as he examined the new fire truck, with Firefighter/EMT Dawson Allen close by and Firefighter/EMT West Soares inside the engine. (Elizabeth Shepherd photo)