Epicenter Project Spotlight - October 2025

This month Epicenter's project spotlight is Bear Lake Fire Department's new brush truck!

The truck is going to be a Brush/Wildland truck — its base starting as a 2025 Ford F-350 Crew Cab pickup. The vehicle will be equipped with a modern fire skid unit featuring a 6.5 HP Honda fire pump and a 250-gallon water tank. In turn it will provide an increased capacity over the department’s current truck.

The brush truck will be used primarily for brush & wildland fires. Additionally it will lend a hand in any incidents where a full-size fire engine cannot access. Lastly, it offers towing capabilities for the department’s boat and Wildland UTV. This new apparatus replaces a 1984 Chevrolet pickup! The 1984 Chevrolet was former DNR surplus vehicle, and with its age it has reached the end of its operational life. 

Epicenter took the black canvas, the provided inspirational photos and current fleet to blend together to create a concept that was all encompassing.

The final sketch file

Each graphical element plays a roll. Bear Lake is considered Fire Station 1. Each station is numbered based on agency and region. The "1" on the roof was added so that helicopters can quickly identify the truck from the air. Wildfires can be a very serious situation and being able to quickly relay information at a glance can be crucial.

The red is Avery Dennison's SW 900 - Carmine Red and was chosen to match the red of the rest of the fleet. "Brush 1" is again used as an identifier and was cut from engine turned gold leaf. Each department has its on flare on how they handle their "Z" stripe. Bear Lake Fire department opted for a black reflective. The tailgate also received red & black reflective. This way, in the dark or low- visibility situations the truck is still easy to see- by making the vehicles more visible, the reflective markings help prevent accidents!

Everything ties together to make a more than capable, mobile tool to help in a wide variety of situations. Bear Lake Fire Department is empowered and ready to be able to better assist the community. Thank you again for allowing Epicenter to play a small part in such a critical component to the communities well being!