Ripon Fire is moving toward having six more firefighters on the job by February to man a second engine company at the now shuttered River Road station.

Fire Chief Eric DeHart Tuesday noted the application process for captains and engineers to fill the six positions needed to man a second fire engine closes on Oct 23.

After that, candidates will be interviewed, job offers made, and physicals conducted.

The passage of the parcel tax this summer is making it possible for the district to add a second engine company with two firefighters per shift for 24-7 coverage

They will man a 2013 fire engine. The district’s newest engine — a 2024 model – will remain at the Stockton Avenue station.

Best practices target the replacement of front-line fire engines ideally every 10 or so years due to heavily used engines experiencing more mechanical and reliability issues as they get older.

Front-line fire engines are then reverted to reserve status.

The cost of a replacement engine is $1.2 million and typically takes three years plus from the time it is ordered to be delivered.

While the district eventually will need to acquire a new fire engine, is its currently working to secure a replacement for its ambulance.

A new ambulance will cost $369,000.

The district has secured $200,000 toward that amount by selling a rescue truck that hasn’t been used for seven or so years to the City of Manteca fire department.

DeHart said the district is working in securing other sources of funding to augment local taxes.

“We made a promise to property owners to do that,” Dehart said.

The district has done that to secure needed replacement breathing apparatus for firefighters.

The district partnered with French Camp McKinley Fire District and Woodland Ave Volunteer Firefighters Association on a successful application for a $647,727 Assistance to Firefighters Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Administration.

Ripon expects to receive a little over $300,000 toward new self-contained breathing apparatus, or SCBAs. These are the air packs our firefighters wear when working in smoke and other hazardous environments. The district’s required contribution will be approximately $30,000.

SCBAs have a 15-year service life, and our current equipment is nearing the end of that period. The grant will replace the essential equipment needed to keep firefighters protected for years to come.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com