The DeKalb County Fire Department showed off their latest addition to the fleet last week, with a new engine destined for the Liberty Fire Hall. The new truck was purchased through a grant program, and is allowing the department to cycle some one of its older trucks out of service.
According to DeKalb Fire Chief Donny Green the truck was purchased through the Rural Development Community Facilities Grant Program. The department was awarded the grant on June 7, 2021, with $115,000 grant match for the county, with $137,500 through the program. The Rural Development Community Facilities Grant Program is a part of the USDA.
Chief Green said that though funding had been approved, actually finding a new fire truck within their budget during the time of the COVID pandemic was a challenge. “We originally planned to order a brand new truck, but when we started looking at budgets, and because of the COVID situation and the supply of apparatus, we saw that we would not be able to order a new truck,” Green said.
“Then, we found this 2021 Freightliner, a manufactured E-1 truck, which was a demo model with 4,000 miles on it,” Chief Green continued. “Luckily we were able to find it, and it met the configuration we needed. We were able to get it within our budget, at a total cost of $256,000.”
With a demo model, Chief Green said the truck came with just the basics and needed a few extra items. “It came pretty basic. It didn’t have any decals on it, the shelving wasn’t installed, and it didn’t have all the loose equipment on it like hoses, nozzles, axes, hand tools, flashlights, etc. We have many of those things we will transfer off of the old truck, but part of our request for the budget amendment from the county commission meeting is to use the proceeds from the three trucks sold at the county auction to buy equipment needed on the new truck.”
The truck will be the new “Engine 65” stationed in Liberty, and Chief Green said the terms of the grant dictated where the truck would be stationed. “The parameters of the grant were that it had to be in the census tract, using low to moderate income and other factors to determine that. The Liberty area was in that census tract, so it specified in the grant that it had to go there.”
Though the new vehicle has to be stationed in Liberty, it allows other trucks to be moved around to give other fire halls updated equipment. Other factors determine where newer truck are stationed as well, such as call volume.
“What that lets us do is take the current truck at Liberty, which is a 2006 model and in pretty good shape, and move it to Temperance Hall,” Chief Green explained “The Temperance Hall truck, a 1996 model, will be moving to the Austin Bottoms station.”
“That will allow us to remove the oldest truck in the fleet, a 1979 Mack, from service and use it as our reserve truck. The reserve truck is used in the event that an engine is out of service or out for maintenance.”
Chief Donny Green said that his department wants to express appreciation for County Mayor Tim Stribling's, and the County Commission's, support and commitment to the local grant match for this new fire engine. Additionally, Chief Green said he wants to extend sincere thanks to the staff at USDA's Rural Development for helping prepare and administer this grant project.