North Washington VFD celebrates delivery of new firetruck
The North Washington Volunteer Fire Department is on the verge of paying off a 15-year loan after less than two years through fundraising efforts that include leasing a portion of its property.
The department last summer took delivery of a brand-new fire engine, which was custom-ordered and built by a Minnesota company. The 2,000-gallon “All-Poly” tanker-pumper, cost just under $400,000.
Part of that cost was covered by a 15-year loan from First Government Lease, a company based in Illinois that specializes in loans to municipal entities.
Thanks to fundraising efforts, “we’re in the process of paying off a 15-year loan that we had on the truck in about a year and a half,” said Bruce Confer, fire chief. “We've worked our butts off for it.”
To provide additional funding, the department leased a 10,000-square-foot chunk of its property on Oneida Valley Road to Elevated Properties LLC, a company that builds wireless towers. The company has built a cell tower on the land, but hasn’t put it into service yet.
“The tower is up,” Confer said. “It’s not in use yet, but it’s up.”
The property on Oneida Valley Road also hosts the fire department’s annual rodeo during the summer.
The truck, officially designated Tanker 30, was first shown to the public at an open house in July and put into use shortly afterward. It was assembled and delivered by Midwest Fire of Luverne, Minn.
“Right now it's strictly being used as a tanker for hauling water,” Confer said.
To make room for the new truck, the department sold one of its older trucks, which dates to 1989. Confer said it was becoming increasingly difficult to find replacement parts for that truck.
“It’s already in service out in the state of Illinois somewhere,” Confer said of the former truck. “We sold it through a broker, and it’s gone.”
Fundraising for the truck came mainly through the fire department’s annual events, such as the popular rodeo, which it bills as the “rodeo capital of the east.” Other events held by the department include two sportsmen’s nights (one in spring, one in fall) and the annual “ladies’ night,” which is coming up on Saturday, Feb. 3.
Confer said the department is refocusing its fundraising efforts to purchase the tools to fully equip the tanker.
“When we get it equipped, it will also be able to fight structure fires,” Confer said. “Our next goal is to use our fundraising to equip the truck itself.”
