The effort is part of the agency’s continued commitment to equip communities in high-risk areas with critical suppression resources
The Department of Natural Resources will be transferring 25 surplus wildland fire engines at no cost to fire districts in wildfire-prone communities around Washington state this spring, part of the agency’s continued efforts to bolster rapid wildfire suppression response at the local level.
“More often than not, the first lines of defense against wildfire are local fire district personnel,” said George Geissler, DNR’s State Forester and Deputy Supervisor responsible for Forest Resilience and Wildland Fire Management. “Ensuring the first responders best situated for swift initial attack have the tools they need to reach ignitions early and keep them small ultimately benefits DNR by reducing potential for those larger, more severe wildfires.”
These engines were made available through DNR’s Surplus Engine Program, one of the agency’s fire district assistance initiatives designed to get a variety of wildfire-specific engines and other equipment to fire service members in high-risk areas.
In 2017, the state Legislature authorized DNR to transfer ownership of surplus engines to qualifying districts in need at no cost to them. Funding provided by House Bill 1168, passed in 2021, allowed the agency to increase the rate at which DNR replaces its engines – in turn accelerating the rate at which surplus engines can be provided to fire districts.
Meanwhile, similar Federal programs are administered by DNR. The Federal Excess Personal Property Program (FEPP) – allows fire districts serving frontline communities to acquire Forest Service engines and equipment on loan at no cost, and the Firefighter Property Program (FPP) where firefighters can get excess Department of Defense (DoD) property to be used for firefighting and emergency services again at no cost. DNR then uses HB 1168 funding to customize those federal resources to the specifications of the local fire department, making the equipment better suited their specific needs.
“DNR’s Surplus Engine Program is a great example of our state’s efforts to fund wildfire prevention and response working best on the front lines,” Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove said. “Strong partnerships across local, state and federal levels are critical to successful wildfire suppression efforts. That’s why I’m committed to restoring the full funding that we need to continue our work preventing wildfires and supporting the folks in at-risk communities best positioned to respond quickest.”
Funding for wildfire prevention and response was cut in half last legislative session. That funding supported DNR programs to help communities throughout the state prepare for and survive wildfires, improve the health of our forests and ensure DNR has the resources needed for a robust wildfire response. Governor Bob Ferguson’s proposed budget restored half of those cuts, $30 million of the $60 million. Commissioner Upthegrove has urged the Legislature to fully restore this funding to avoid impacts that could include:
- Nearly 50 fewer firefighters — compromising response, restoration efforts, and community-focused projects
- More than 20 additional full time staff cuts — impacting forest restoration and critical support for partners across all lands
- Elimination of 90% of pass-through funds to frontline communities currently strengthening wildfire response and forest health
- Complete elimination of wildfire early detection cameras
- Drastic curtailment of DNR’s forest health programs
More information about this funding is available at: dnr.wa.gov/news/2025/restoring-wildfire-forest-health-and-community-resilience-funding
Find a TVW recording of today's Commissioner Upthegrove surplus engine press conference here. Photos and graphics from the event are here.
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MEDIA CONTACT
Thomas Kyle-Milward
Wildfire Communications Manager
Cell: 360-529-7184
