Welcoming a new tender truck to the Fire District 13 fleet this past week was an historic event on several levels.
Area firefighters and residents rallied Jan. 14 for a traditional “push-in” ceremony, during which they muscled the gleaming 2026 Pierce water tender into its bay at the fire district’s Snee-Oosh Road station.
Dubbed a “tengine” for its ability to function as both a tender and fire engine, the new rig replaces an aging unit dating to the Bush Administration. The first Bush presidency, that is.
The ceremony itself, noted District 13 Chief Wood Weiss, honored the era of hand-pushed horse-drawn engines. Weiss said that during the 19th century new fire trucks were commissioned with push-ins as horses couldn’t back up the heavy engines.
“While we no longer rely on horses, this push-in helps us celebrate the teamwork involved,” Weiss said.
Pushing the more than 50,000-pound rig into the station bay took less than 10 seconds, thanks to a large turnout — Town of La Conner Fire Chief Aaron Reinstra was among their number — that braved the dark and damp dinner-hour conditions to shoulder the load.
“We’re very grateful and thankful for everybody who showed up,” Weiss said during the monthly fire district commissioners’ meeting the following morning.
Weiss singled out participation by Swinomish Indian Tribal Community (SITC) prayer warriors who provided a multi-denominational blessing of the new tender.
Pastor Doug York of Inspire Church, located across Snee-Oosh Road from the fire station and often referred to as “the church on the hill,” joined representatives of historic St. Paul Catholic Church in Swinomish Village for the blessing ritual.
York praised District 13 personnel for their heartfelt public service through the years. He offered gratitude for preparations undertaken both by those who designed and built the new tender and the district’s emergency responders.
“We pray not just for the preparation of the vehicle, but also the preparation of the firefighters themselves,” York said.
The St. Paul’s cohort, introduced by Lenora Cook, shared prayers of protection.
“We’re so happy to be he here for the blessing of the new fire tender,” Cook said. “We’re so grateful for all the work you do, all the work that went into this, and to everyone who made this possible.”
Weiss said the new tender, which he referred to as “the big beast,” can carry 3,000 gallons of water to protect areas with no hydrants.
“This allows us to drop the whole tank of water and run to a hydrant to get more,” he said. “It’s our first large-capacity apparatus that has pump and roll capability. This means we can fight fire while moving.”
The Florida-built tender has ladders and air-breathing apparatus, Weiss added, making it capable as a first attack engine on house fires.
Weiss thanked the district’s three commissioners, residents of its coverage area, and the Swinomish Tribe for supporting the new tender’s purchase, the balance on which was paid in full last year.
Fire District 13 Commissioner J.J. Wilbur, who is also a La Conner School Board member and SITC senator, spoke in his role as a tribal leader at the hourlong push-in program.
“From a (tribal senate) leadership perspective, we’re happy to donate,” Wilbur said. “When Fire District 13 needs equipment, we try to take care of those needs as best we can.”
That equipment gets heavy use, a trend that shows no signs of letting up.
Weiss shared with commissioners at their Thursday morning session year-end statistics showing that district medical transports rose from 288 in 2024 to 346 in 2025. There were 40 transports in December alone, up from 28 the previous December.
In addition, District 13 installed 99 smoke detectors across 26 homes last year. The district’s proactive CARES (Community Assistance, Referral and Education Services) Program saw nine patients graduate in 2025 to the levels of care they needed.
Overall, District 13 responded to 1,381 service calls from January through December 2025, an increase of 43 over the prior 12 months.
Bill Reynolds is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.
