The Elgin City Council unanimously backed almost $1 million in purchases for the Elgin Fire Department, including a new fire engine, 11 tablet computers used in the field, and 65 breathing apparatus. The SCBAis Bluetooth-enabled to make it easier for firefighters to verbally communicate and come with exterior amplified speakers worn on shoulders, as wel.

A Moberly man was taken to a hospital in Columbia, Missouri, with serious injuries Saturday after a fire truck he was driving crashed in Randolph County. 

The driver  was responding to a fire when the truck he was driving traveled off the right side of the road  The vehicle hit a culvert, overturned, and struck a sign, ejecting ejecting the driver.

The vehicle remained on its side for most of the day for accident investigators to complete their investigation. A heavy-duty tow truck was used to right the vehicle, and no injuries were reported.

The cost of the truck is $560,620, with related equipment costing about $82,300. The money will come from impact fees paid by developers on certain projects.

The bright Campbel orange truck is a 110-foot rear-mounted aerial truck with a 1,500-gallon-perminute capability. The water can be delivered at that rate from up to 100 feet in the air. It will also carry the department’s specialized rope rescue equipment.