You will recall that our truck originally came from the southern United States, where freezing temperatures like ours are unheard of. When the truck arrived here, our Fire Department set forth to address the problem of protecting the water pump from freezing.After a while, a solution to the problem was designed and installed. I am told now that the water pump NEVER froze, and functioned as it should every time. But like everything, the pump just "wore out!"
I have also avoided mentioning exact figures for the repair of our truck, or its replacement, because we don't have those figures available yet. Council is in the process of getting more information on the repairs and more accurate costs of another used fire engine. After all that is in, we than need to decide what to do.
We will have three choices;
- Fix our existing truck and hold on to it until 2020 when the Village's finances and provincial and federal grant money may make it possible to replace it.
- Get rid of the existing truck and purchase another used, surplus truck.
- Continue to rent a fire truck until Village finances and grants may make it possible to replace it.
Thank you Mr. Courtman, council and the residents of Beiseker for looking into this issue for us. As a long time member of the department, I can speak for all of our members and say it is an absolute privellage to be able to serve with the Beiseker Fire Department. As long as we have an engine that allows us to perform our job safely, and allows us to effectively respond to, and mitigate emergencies, Beiseker's firefighters will be there day and night when the community calls on us.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, Beiseker has a lot of well trained and experienced firefighters, that not only serve as volunteer firefighters with BFD but also serve on career departments elsewhere. In saying this, we do not need, or even expect that the town purchases a "brand new" engine. We understand that the town has many other financial obligations, and the cost of a new fire engine may not be feasible at this time. All we ask, is that we have a safe piece of equipment that we can trust to protect us, while we do our part to protect the community.
Thank you again to the community for your on going support. We encourage everyone to stop by for a coffee and a tour of our hall when they have the chance. Our department has a lot of pride and we love being a part of the community and interacting with the public!
Beiseker Firefighter,
Adam.