About Deschutes River Manufacturing

Changing The Way Fire Hose Is Managed, One Department At A Time

Firefighting is hard, dangerous work and managing a variety of hoses sizes quickly and efficiently can be vital in fire disaster situations. So why should a simple-yet-essential non-emergency task such as rolling fire hose be either difficult or dangerous? Shouldn't firefighters be able to roll, transport, re-deploy and re-deck fire hoses quickly, easily and safely, saving their energy and physical condition for the demanding task of suppressing fires?

Deschutes River Manufacturing's founder, David Johnston, thought the answers to these questions were obvious. So, in 2002, he tapped his 27-years of mechanical experience as a millwright to develop an ingeniously well-designed, portable, motorized fire hose roller. Since then it has been put to the test by industrial, municipal and wildland departments throughout the world and evolved into an innovative and advanced hose management system.

“To accommodate the needs of our industrial customers and larger municipal departments, we have continued to develop our original design – which focused mainly on rolling smaller diameter hose – to our most recent design, The Rookie Sidekick All-In-One (AIO), which handles up to 7-1/4 inch diameter fire hose,” explains David Johnston, owner of Deschutes River Manufacturing. “Even with these big, heavy hoses, a single firefighter can now quickly, safely and perfectly roll one hose length after another.”

With a proven track record of customers that includes every major U.S. public land management agency, some of the world’s largest energy companies, water utilities and fire departments on three continents, we can stand solidly behind our products. We are committed to continually researching, developing and field testing the highest quality, best designed fire hose handling equipment technology available today. We offer customized manufacturing to fit all customers' special needs. Have an idea for a new or improved product? Please tell us about it, so together we can make firefighting easier and safer for the men and women who put their lives on the line every day.

Factory Tours
If you are interested in touring our facilities we'd be happy to accomodate you. Please call to arrange an appointment date and time. 541-480-5967.

Giving Back
A portion of every Rookie and Rookie Sidekick purchase goes to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. To find out more about the WFF, please visit their website or call them at 208.336.2996.

A portion of our proceeds also goes to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.