PITTSFIELD TOWNSHIP, MI—With the approving vote of the township board and a federal grant, the Pittsfield Township Fire Department got a brand new $450,000 fire truck for the price of a top-end new car earlier this month.
More than a year ago, the township applied for and was awarded a FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant that paid a large portion of the cost the new truck, which was delivered in early January to replace and old truck in service since 1986, Pittsfield Township Fire Chief Sean Gleason said.
All the township had to pay was 10 percent of the cost and rest was covered by the grant, he said.
The truck, built by Michigan-based company HME Ahrens-Fox, is a tanker truck that can carry 3,254 gallons of water to fires in rural area where a hydrant may not be readily available, Gleason said.
The old truck, which Gleason jokingly said takes three minutes to hit 45 mph, was at the end of its life expectancy after being in service for more than 30 years, he said.
One of the rules attached to the grant is that the old truck could not be sold to another fire department, meaning it either had to be sold for scrap or donated. A deal was struck with the Fort Custer Training Center in Battle Creek, where the truck will be used to train future firefighters, Gleason said.
For the donation of the truck, training center staff will train Pittsfield Township firefighters for free on how to combat wildfires.
“We’re really happy we’re able to donate the old tanker and get free training from the guys we’re giving the truck to. I’d call it a win-win situation,” Gleason said.
The new truck is currently in service, joining six other trucks in Pittsfield’s fleet, and is being used throughout the township and Washtenaw County.
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