OKTIBBEHA COUNTY — Minutes can affect rescue and make a difference in property loss when fighting fires.
Thursday, the East Oktibbeha Volunteer Fire Department christened its new 3,000-gallon tanker, which will shave response time with greater capacity and quicker refilling.
The $210,000 tanker was mostly funded through a federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant through Homeland Security. The grant covered 95 percent of the cost, while roughly $10,000 of donations covered the rest.
“It’s impressive,” said 3rd District Congressman Gregg Harper, whose support is key in the grant’s annual congressional renewal. “With the tanker, they have the capability to fill that thing up in a matter of two or three minutes as opposed to eight or nine. Those minutes save lives. These folks here are committed.”
Harper said the grant has helped many counties in his district, which includes Oktibbeha and Noxubee counties, obtain equipment they otherwise would not be able to afford.
“From a public safety standpoint, it’s been very effective,” he said.
The new tanker replaces a 1985 model that was wrecked last week while responding to a fire on Railroad Spur Road. The old tanker would have helped serve other departments, but since it was totaled, the parts will help service other vehicles in the county’s fleet, Fire Services Coordinator Kirk Rosenhan said.
The tanker includes ancillary equipment to include a portable tank and a variety of tools. The multiple dump valves allow the tanker to transport water, fill up tanks on site and leave to retrieve more water.
The tanker more than doubles the capacity of the old model, which held 1,250 gallons of water and had a 1,000-gallon per minute pump.
“It will greatly augment the firefighting capabilities of the group here and assist in water shuttles, which makes our fire rating better,” Rosenhan said. “It’s a great asset.”
The grant was written by firefighter Austin Check, who said the process for approval was meticulous.
“We had to show that we had a need and how it improves our department,” he said. “We had to show that it would improve safety and our overall loss reduction. It then went through a computer process to get rid of junk applications. Senior officers and fire chiefs review it, and once they merit it, it goes through a technical review.
“Finally, they call us and ask us if we want it … and we say, ‘heck yeah.'”
Check said community support was pivotal in purchasing the truck, which had to undergo an alteration to meet emissions requirements. He said the county fire departments accept about $25,000 per year in donations, which help run the three stations that service 72 square miles.
The grant also helped furnish the East Fire Department with a high-efficiency washer and dryer, which helps remove smoke and debris from gear.
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