In a powerful gesture of international friendship and firefighter camaraderie, Southern Marin Fire District (SMFD) handed over the key to Fire Engine 7 to representatives from Viña del Mar, Chile, during a ceremony on Wednesday, October 8. The event took place at Station 1 in Sausalito and marked the culmination of a two-year collaboration between SMFD and the Sausalito Sister Cities Viña del Mar Committee.

The donated Rosenbauer Fire Engine, which served Mill Valley as Engine 7 from 2013 to 2024, will begin a new chapter protecting the residents of Viña del Mar, a coastal city whose terrain and wildfire risks closely mirror those of Southern Marin.

The donation was formally approved at the September 2025 Fire District Board Meeting, but the initiative began in 2024 when SMFD, in partnership with Sausalito Sister Cities, hosted five Viña del Mar firefighters for an eight-day cultural and professional exchange. The visit, filled with shared training, camaraderie, and mutual respect, sparked the vision to send a fully equipped fire engine to Chile.

Following the ceremony, Chilean dignitaries joined SMFD personnel for a fire engine ride to Sausalito's Viña del Mar Park, a symbolic gesture of unity celebrating the two cities’ ongoing friendship and shared commitment to public service.

Learn more about Sausalito Sister Cities online and read more about this donation on SMFD's website.