
Winchester Fire-EMS Battalion Chief Rob Carmichael told the Board of Commissioners the department received a FEMA grant which will cover 90 percent of the truck. Carmichael said this was the seventh year the department applied for the grant to replace the truck.
Instead of having to spend nearly $1.1 million for the 100-foot aerial, the city will only have to spend about $96,000, Carmichael said.
The board quickly voted unanimously to purchase the truck, which will be manufactured by Smeal Fire Apparatus in Snyder, Nebraska.
Carmichael said the new truck will replace Ladder 1, the city’s hook-and-ladder truck which was taken out of service last year. Once the new truck arrives, it will be assigned to Station 3 near the industrial park. The city’s other ladder truck will be moved to Station 1 and serve as a reserve unit, he said.
Ladder 1 is 31 years old, does not meet any of the National Fire Prevention Association regulations and has had several mechanical and maintenance issues recently, Carmichael said. The city is also required to have a 100-foot ladder truck to maintain the city’s ISO rating, he said. Without Ladder 1, the city doesn’t meet that requirement either, he said.
Delivery should take at least 10 months but could be up to 12 months, depending on discussions between the city, FEMA and Smeal, he said.
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