New Wildfire Urban Interface Engine Arrived 8 6 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Whitefield Fire Department Receives New Wildland Urban Interface Fire Engine Through Federal Grant & Congresswomen Goodlander

WHITEFIELD, N.H. — August 6, 2026 10 A.M. — The Whitefield Fire Department officially received a new wildland-urban interface (WUI) fire engine, made possible through the efforts of Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander in securing Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) funding through the Community Facilities Grant Program (CFPG).

The total cost of the engine was $429,000, including $375,000 in federal funding and $54,000 in matching funds secured by the Whitefield Fire Department and the Town of Whitefield.

The grant allowed the department to replace a 42-year-old forest fire engine that had been provided to the town as a federally owned surplus vehicle. The new four-wheel-drive, high-clearance apparatus is the only modern wildland-urban interface engine of its kind in northern New Hampshire.

This engine will serve as a critical resource for wildland fire response operations throughout northern New Hampshire and northern Vermont, including Coos and Grafton counties. Through existing mutual aid agreements, the vehicle will help protect more than 800,000 acres of federally managed land, including portions of the White Mountain National Forest, properties managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities, Federal Aviation Administration sites, and national park lands.

The Town of Whitefield extends its sincere appreciation to Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander, and her team, for her support and commitment to the North Country. Special thanks are also extended to Deputy Chief Alan Smith and Kelly Fuller for their work in preparing and submitting the grant application; Chief John “Mossy” Ross for securing additional funding, Tiffany Sunders, Rural Development Community Programs Division of the USDA, and the Whitefield Select Board and taxpayers for supporting the local matching funds necessary to make this project possible.

“This new apparatus represents a significant investment in the safety of our residents, our neighboring communities, and the region’s invaluable natural resources,” according to Chief Ross and Deputy Chief Smith.