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Liberty needs to replace fire truck

December 14, 2006|BRENDA S. EDWARDS

LIBERTY - After hearing that the city's newest fire truck is an antique, City Council decided Wednesday to apply for grants and try to appropriate additional money for a new truck.

Fire Chief Donald Wilson said the city's Volunteer Fire Department grant applications have been rejected for the past five years.

"We're going have to have a fire truck or our rating won't stay the same," Wilson said. He said if the rating changes, insurance on a residence could go up as much as $300 annually.

"We should have been putting back money," he said. The local fire truck is 17 years old and will have to be replaced in the next three years.

Wilson said a new fire truck will cost about $200,000. He has looked at new trucks in Pulaski County's rural fire departments, which also have all the up-to-date equipment. He said Pulaski gets thousands of dollars in federal grant funds and also has a 3 percent tax on insurance premiums that goes to fire departments. The tax amounts to about $35 annually per property owner.

Wilson said Pulaski gets help from U.S. Senator Hal Rogers and even called representatives in the nation's capitol for help.

"I even asked Hal Rogers for help, but he said he was doing all he could do for Pulaski County," Wilson said.

Checking for funding

Wilson says the local effort will determine whether the town receives adequate fire protection.

"The ball is in your court," Wilson told the council. He said it will take more than eight months to get a truck after it is ordered. He said the city can use the truck about three more years.

Mayor Steve Sweeney said he also has made contacts about grants, but had no luck. He promised to check one more place for funding.

"If we don't get the money, maybe we can commit to buy a fire truck," Sweeney told the council.

Councilman Jimmy Ellison said the city should not wait until the last minute to order the truck.

Sweeney said the city can order a new fire truck in 2007, or earlier if it gets any help.

The city needs a larger truck because several new buildings, including the Judicial Center, Detention Center and new schools have been built since the last truck was purchased.

Wilson said representatives from the federal Homeland Security Agency called the city's fire trucks antiques and said the department was substandard and needs to upgrade.

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