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Faced with ever-lengthening wildfire seasons, Kings County Fire Chief William Lynch made the case for the need for new dependable firefighting equipment to County officials Tuesday.

Lynch went before the County Board of Supervisors during their regular meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 13 to request approval to search for a replacement transport for the department's Dozer 9 Caterpillar bulldozer.

The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Chief's request, giving him the authorization to both search for and draft a letter of commitment for the selected vehicle, an 18-wheel diesel truck to haul Dozer 9 to various wildfire sites in California.

Dozer 9 is housed at the Kings County Fire Station 9 in Kettleman City.  Chief Lynch said the station's primary responsibility is as first responders to wildfires in western Kings County.

"The state is always looking for resources like the dozer and making the investment was the right choice," said Kings County District 1 Supervisor Joe Neves.

Neves and Lynch both indicated the current engine is great for the local area, but the department needed something with more horsepower to meet the challenges of the higher-elevation roads where most of the wildfires take place.

This authorization from the County allows Chief Lynch to search for a vehicle within a price range of $150,000 to $200,000.

"The range is dependent upon the quality and status of a new or used vehicle," the Chief said.  "The search and commitment letter is enough to earmark the vehicle by the vendor before going back to the Board of Supervisors to get purchase approval."

According to Chief Lynch, the purchase of a new transport vehicle started becoming a necessity during 2021.

The annual cost to operate the transport vehicle — including tires, fuel, and routine maintenance — will run between $2,000 and $3,000, according to Lynch.

When out on in-county assignment, Dozer 9 is operated by two department personnel.  One firefighter drives the transport and operates the bulldozer with the second serving in a back-up capacity.  Four operators accompany Dozer 9 during out-of-county assignments.

According to Frontline Wildfire Defense, California experiences a wildfire season which mainly runs through May to October but may be all year long with current climate conditions.

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