By John Leggett-The Courier Herald
Leap Year has been good to the Buckley Fire Department, as things are beginning to come together fiscally for the hard-working crew.
Within the next couple of months the department will receive a new fire truck, which will carry a pre-tax price tag of $317,177.
“This capital purchase will mark the first time we have bought a fire truck right off the assembly line since 1996,” Fire Chief Alan Predmore said. “This new fire engine doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles, because we didn't want to spend $400,000 or more, but it is customized to suit our needs as far as what kind of fires we fight most of the time.”
Predmore's crew answered 825 calls between fire and medical emergency dispatches in 2007.
The city will have four fire engines when it takes delivery of the new rig possibly as soon as late May. It is being manufactured by the Crimson Company in Brandon, S.D.
The engine was already paid for from funds the city annually sets aside for capital apparatus expenditures, and it will be replacing the fire engine that was purchased new in 1983.
“Like the circa-1964 truck we have, though, the 1983 is going to have to be stored somewhere else besides the fire station, because we simply do not have room for three trucks in our cramped quarters,” Predmore said.
Also, within the next few years, construction of a new firehouse will be slowly moving closer to becoming a reality, pending the review of wetland reports and a myriad of other obstacles concerning the plot of land adjacent to Cedar Community Church.
“We outgrew our current facility about 10 years ago and the situation has gone beyond the urgent stage,” Predmore said, “but we have to remain patient and make sure we follow all the correct steps.”
A new facility, when built, “should be capable of servicing the community for 50 to 60 years without there being any need for major maintenance,” Predmore said.
Another bit of good news came Feb. 29, when the department received notification from Congressman Dave Reichert's office, that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded the city a $72,432 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant.
The grant was created to provide funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to help them increase the number of trained front-line firefighters available in their communities.
The SAFER Grant award will provide full funding for a three-year period, allowing the department to expand its Resident Volunteer Firefighter Program.
John Leggett can be reached at jleggett@courierherald.com.
