Dawn-Euphemia could have a new fire truck by the end of February.

Fire Chief Don Ewing says the tanker truck will be replacing a unit which has been in service since 1990. A committee was set up for the purchase and sent out specifications to 11 different manufacturers. Just one replied says Ewing.

The Freightliner Tanker is one of two available for sale from the dealer. The add ons the department needs, including a front monitor nozzle which helps with fires in farm fields, are already in stock.

Capt. John Sanderson, one of the members of the committee, recently told council that will come in handy.

“If we’re really short manpower this allows us to position the truck in a space that would let us use the front monitor to protect an exposure or keep a fire from spreading until we got more help on scene,” he says.

Sanderson says the tanker will also have a portable pump which will be able to feed water to a pumper that is low on water; a feature he says will be particularly good when the fire department is on the scene where there is a long driveway.

The department originally wanted to buy a different brand but it was quite high. And Sanderson says Freightliner had a truck available immediately – unusual in a time of supply chain problems.

“With most manufacturers, there is a lack of inventory,” says Sanderson noting Oil Springs is waiting more than a year to source a new truck.

The Dawn-Euphemia department is expecting delivery of the new pumper by the end of February or early March, says Ewing.

The original budget approved in 2020 for the new vehicle was $350,000. Because of the shortage in vehicles now, the department requested $400,000 to purchase a new tanker. Instead, they’ll pay $329,894. Ewing is asking some of the money saved be put into reserves for replacements of other trucks in the future.

The current tanker will be used by the public works department.