Volunteer fire departments are stretching every dollar they have.
They must do exactly that with the cost of equipment so high and fire trucks costing in the $1 million or more range.
All departments look for ways to raise money and save money where they can. The Eclectic Volunteer Fire Department saw a need for an aerial.
“It would allow us to put water on fires at large buildings such as churches, homes and businesses such as Madix,” Eclectic fire chief Josh Dorminey said. “Putting water on fire like that can help put it out and help keep it from spreading.”
EFD had its dreams of a fire truck with a ladder or tower. New ones can cost close to $2 million now and are mostly out of reach for small departments.
Dorminey and the department worked with a broker in north Alabama to keep an eye on available trucks. That’s when a great deal came up on a truck from Virginia with a 70-foot aerial.
“A fire department was getting a new fire truck and they had this truck,” Dorminey said. “They had an order and were going to sell this one.”
The department decided to buy the low-hour used truck at a cost of $150,000. New it is $1.5 million.
EFD struck with fire department speed. They flew to Virginia and decided to purchase the truck in January 2024. They created a list of issues that needed to be fixed. Then, they had to wait for the new truck to be delivered.
Again, they visited the truck to make sure any issues had been addressed. The body of the firetruck and equipment can be moved to a new fire truck chassis if the current one gets beyond repair. In the last two weeks they took delivery of the truck and showcased it at Mayfest, where the department was selling hamburgers as a fundraiser.
“We still have a bunch of payments for it and we need to outfit it,” Dorminey said. “We have some of the equipment needed to put on it, but can use more. It can respond to a fire and we can hook a hose to it.”
The truck is capable of putting 2,000 gallons a minute through its aerial, both manned and unmanned.
“This will serve us for many years to come,” Dorminey said. “It will be one of our first out trucks.”