Springville Fire gets new truck grant

BY STACI WILSON

In 1992, Springville’s volunteer fire company purchased a used tractor they then refurbished and added a 3,000 gallon tanker on the back end of it.

“It was the biggest tanker in the county,” said Walt Lass, Chairman of the Springville Fire Company’s board.

The nine-speed manual tanker truck now has about 418,000 miles on it and the fire company has received a FEMA grant to purchase a new fire truck.

The company plans to purchase an updated tanker with an automatic transmission.

Lass said that with an automatic transmission more people will be able to drive the new truck on calls.

“Very few people can drive a nine-speed tractor,” Lass said.

But the old tanker has certainly served its purpose for the company and will continue to do so until a new truck is delivered later this year, Fire Chief Dan Smales said.

As part of the grant, once Springville receives its new tanker, the old one cannot be used as a fire truck.

The new tanker truck will be built to suit the company’s specifications.

But Lass said the company wants to keep the 3,000 gallon tanker size. “The more water you got (at a fire), the better off you are,” he said.

FEMA awarded Springville $237,500 in grant money toward the purchase of a new tanker truck. The fire company now has to raise five percent of the vehicle’s expected $250,000 cost. When fully outfitted, cost for the truck will be closer to $275,000.

“Of the thousands applying to the grant, we were lucky to get one,” Smales said.

Fire Co. President Ron Howell said, “Our biggest concern right now is to raise the funds to pay for the balance”

The fire company plans to raise the needed funds through functions, such as the monthly brunch at the fire station, donations and special events.

With one tanker, two engines, two brush trucks and one mini-rescue unit making up Springville’s emergency service fleet, a good portion of tax money goes to paying to insure the vehicles, the firemen said.

Springville Volunteer Fire Company primarily serves the townships of Springville, Dimock,Auburnand Lathrop.

The company has also received more calls for mutual aid over the past few years.

“Everybody in the area helps each other,” Smales said of the county fire companies.

Lass said, “The new tanker is everybody’s tanker.”