HANCEVILLE, Ala. – Hanceville Fire and Rescue will soon be getting a new rig. The department was given permission Tuesday night to purchase a Toyne Pumper truck. The custom-made truck is expected to take one year to be built and delivered.
The Hanceville City Council held a special-called meeting Tuesday night to discuss the request made by Hanceville Fire and Rescue at last Thursday night’s regular council meeting. Chief Roger Green and Assistant Chief Bart Absher presented a proposal to purchase two fire trucks, one pumper and one mini pumper, to replace aging trucks currently in use. Councilman Jim Sawyer had not reviewed the information and asked the discussion be tabled.
Tuesday night, the council, Green and Absher discussed the matter at length before deciding to approve the purchase of just the larger truck. The financing for the purchase will come from the City’s fire dues. The Toyne pumper truck is expected to cost $460,000.
“I, myself, I don’t mind or have a problem with you having two payments somewhere down the road to buy another truck,” said Sawyer about his opinion that the City should only buy one truck at this time. “With times as uncertain as they are right now, right now before this election and not knowing what is going to happen, I am a little nervous about buying two trucks. I think we should buy one truck, whichever one you want, and then maybe we can get another 6-8 months down the road. I’m just a little nervous. That’s just a lot of money.”
Councilman John Stamm agreed with Sawyer.
“We will look at this again next summer about getting the mini-pumper,” Councilman Jimmie Nuss said.
“I’m ecstatic. I’m just worried 12 months from now when I come back, they’re going to say we can’t afford two payments and I’m going to be right back where I was. I’m still going to have a 20-year-old old truck and a new truck and multiple trucks that are falling apart,” said Absher, who added, “It is better than what we got now. Any department in the county would be ecstatic to get what we got tonight.”
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