Fairplay Dept. to get new rescue pumper truck

By Tara DeRock Mahoney
Senior Staff Writer

    County Commissioners wrestled with conflicting emotions at a work session last week while trying to decide what make of fire truck to purchase to bring the county's requisite number of vehicles into line.
    Volunteer fire chiefs had recommended the purchase of a galvanized-steel “Galvanel” KME/NAFECO truck, but commissioners ultimately went with an aluminum E-One/FireLine brand truck that was priced at about $15,000 less than the KME version.
    Commissioners noted a desire to choose the truck selected by the volunteers, but felt that ultimately the lower bid of the two comparably-equipped trucks must be honored.
    Following the recommendation of a vote by the nine-member chief's council, the new rescue pumper truck with water and foam systems will go to the Fairplay fire station.
    A representative from the E-One company was present at the work session to answer questions about the FireLine bid; he indicated that his company puts a large number of aluminum-body fire trucks in high-volume stations without problems. The E-One company's 10-year warranty on the body of the truck also helped win over commissioners.
    The county's head fire chief Jerry Couch did not protest the approval of the E-One truck.
    “We're not running 4,000 calls a year,” he said. “We're not beating [our trucks] to death.”