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West Deer Township Volunteer Fire Co. 3 gets new water tanker
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Residents serviced by West Deer Township Volunteer Fire Company No. 3 will benefit from a new 3,000-gallon capacity water tanker that has just arrived at the station.
According to fire Chief Josh Wiegand, the new tanker is important because 50 percent of the township is not serviced by water hydrants.
With a price tag of $287,125, the new vehicle is replacing a 30-year-old tanker, which the department sold to a fire company in Island Falls, Maine, for $25,000. The original tanker was purchased for $84,000 in 1981.
"It's about as old as I am," Chief Wiegand said.
Sporting automatic dump tanks, the new tanker will be able to unload the water quickly, so it can either be pumped to the pumper truck or dumped into portable water tanks.
"It's for water shuttles in areas where we don't have hydrants," he said, adding that the station received a $185,000 FEMA Assistance to Firefighters grant to pay for about two-thirds of the tanker's cost.
"We utilized the $25,000 income from the sale of the old vehicle and took out a loan for the rest," Chief Wiegand said.
Additional equipment, including the hose, came from the old tanker and saved approximately $10,000, but the department still had to purchase a $5,000 radio.
"The new truck has a lot more safety features included on it," said Chief Wiegand, noting that the tanker was ordered a year ago and is finally built and ready to go into service.
"It holds more water than the previous tanker."
Chief Wiegand has a history of writing successful FEMA grants for West Deer.
In 2010, the department received a $130,000 regional FEMA Assistance to Firefighters grant to put new adapters on all hydrants in the township.
"As long as you follow their rules and go for the high-priority equipment, there's a good chance of getting the grant," he said.
First Published July 12, 2012 12:00 am
