Washington business owner buys fire engine to defend community from wildfire threat

With wildfires raging across Washington and smoke forcing the closure of a popular lake for the first time in history, one local business owner has taken wildfire defense into his own hands — by buying a used fire engine.

Shawn Parker, the owner of Cascade Playtime Rentals, a recreation business in the town of Ronald, just outside Lake Cle Elum, said the fires have effectively shut down his operation at the peak of the summer season.

“We’re shut down,” Parker said. “They closed the lake for the first time ever in history. They shut the lake down. You’re not allowed to even walk on the lake. Can’t even skip a rock.”

Cascade Playtime Rentals typically offers boats, jet skis, kayaks in the summer, and snowmobiles in the winter. But with the lake closed and smoke drifting in and out with the wind, business has ground to a halt.

He went looking for a water truck. He came home with a fire engine

Concerned about the growing wildfire threat, Parker initially went looking for a water truck. Instead, he stumbled onto a very different kind of machine on an online marketplace: a specialized fire engine with a telescoping water cannon.

“We were looking kind of like a water truck situation, but then I saw this telehandler. I call it telesquirt. It squirts,” Parker said.

After seeing the truck in action, he was sold.

“The guy who had the engine was squirting trees over 100 feet tall, on top of the trees with this thing,” Parker said. “I’m like, that makes sense. Let’s get the top of the trees wet. We’ve got some big fires up here that carry across the top of the trees. If I can get the neighborhood all wet, I’m good to go.”

He bought the rig for $6,000, a fraction of what he says similar equipment can cost.

“They’re about 700 grand,” he said. “So I figure I got a good deal. It’s a good running 500-horsepower Detroit, big turbo diesel. It’s got the big pumps, and all the big hookups.”

The truck carries about 750 gallons of foam, a fire-retardant agent, and 750 gallons of water.

A family operation against the flames

Rather than evacuate if fire approaches, Parker plans to stay and fight to protect both his home and his livelihood.

“We’re not scared,” he said. “We’re not leaving. We’re gonna stick around. Can’t lose my house, can’t lose my business. So I’m here for the long haul.”

He’s not alone. His two adult sons, Brock and Bo, ages 22 and 24, are learning to operate the truck with him.

“They’re getting educated on it. We’re not playing with it,” he said. “You got a squirter that has a full-blown hose that squirts a long way, or you got a fogger. You got different levels, different angles. It’ll shoot over 100 feet in the air.”

His strategy is to keep the ground and trees around the neighborhood wet to reduce the risk of ignition from embers.

“We’ve fire-proofed everything around us so we have no ground fires,” he said. “Just the trees are gonna pop around us. That’s why I bought this, to get the trees wet.”

Facing the Three Queens Fire threat

The closest threat, he said, is the Three Queens Fire burning near the end of the lake. While he believes firefighters have historically done a good job preventing structures from burning in the area, the sheer scale of current wildfires across the state has him worried about resources.

“This whole state’s on fire, so we’re not a huge priority yet,” he said, noting that a large nearby resort, Suncadia, may help draw more firefighting support if flames get closer. “If I go, they go.”

Despite the stakes, he remains determined and cautiously optimistic.

“If it happens, we’re not scared, we’re not leaving,” Parker said. “I’m gonna give it a hell of a shot. I can’t lose my house. I can’t lose my business, so I’m here for the long haul.”

For now, the truck is more than just a piece of machinery. It’s a symbol of one family’s resolve to protect their home, their business, and their community in the face of an unprecedented wildfire season.

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