It didn't take long to test these expectations.

At 3 p.m. on Tuesday, June 19, Deschutes 911 dispatched units to a structure fire in the Sun Mountain subdivision.

The first unit on scene was confronted with a fully involved second floor kitchen. Flames were extending out on to the deck, swirling around the eves, and lapping back through an open window into the living room.

Luckily that first unit was one of the new rigs.

Using foam, which improves the wetting capability of water by as much as a factor of 10, the fire was quickly knocked down and extinguished with less than 300 gallons of water, greatly diminishing water damage to the rest of the home.

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According to firefighters, the foam helps water penetrate surfaces, enhancing the ability to soak a burning structure, smothering flames and preventing them from spreading.

Cloverdale fire chief Chuck Cable estimated that damage to the structure was probably $35,000 to $40,000 but would have easily exceeded $200,000 if the initial attack had been less effective.

In terms of value of property saved, the new rigs paid for themselves in less than 24 hours. Chief Cable also credited a recently awarded matching funds grant that helped pay for the rigs.

The Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) grant program, funded through the Forest Service and the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) provided $20,000 toward the purchase.

Priority was given to those districts that demonstrate the greatest need and for initiatives that demonstrate a genuine improvement in fire protection capability for that community.

Only fire districts serving areas that do not have an incorporated city of over 10,000 in population qualified for the grants.