Firefighters unveiled the truck, a 2018 Ford F-550, at Tuesday’s Derry Township supervisors meeting. Four men can ride in the truck’s cab, but it’s the right size to fit up a narrow driveway or alley, Piantine said.

 

The attack truck can carry 300 gallons of water as well as 30 gallons of foam for dousing woods fires. According to Piantine, purchase of the $324,000 truck was made possible by a $275,000 grant the township obtained from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “They got it through the grant writers they hire,” he said. “Without the supervisors getting the grant, we never would have got (the truck).”

The new Engine No. 4 was customized to meet Greeneville Fire Department needs and funded in part by a $60,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  

One of the most important things that a community can do is upgrade its firefighting equipment, said Congressman Phil Roe, R-1st, of Johnson City, during the ceremony.

 

The town is blessed to have a good relationship with the local USDA, said Greeneville City Administrator Todd Smith, and the local office contacted the town a few years ago about the possibility of applying for a grant, but a quick turnaround was needed.

The city’s predicament is that one of two engines is out of service. The city has purchased a computer to diagnose the issues with one truck. It hasn’t arrived. It’s possible that the vehicle could be repaired and its pump pressure testing might meet standards.  The next pump exam is set for late fall or early spring. City Councilman Donnie Wilson suggested waiting on the status of the truck and seeing if a new one is needed and develop a financing plan.

“If this would have been handled prior we wouldn’t have this issue,” said Jeremy St. John, a firefighter and city councilman.

Generally, it takes about eight months to manufacture a truck. By prepaying it, the city would save about $26,000. Additionally, it has identified a $30,000 USDA Rural Development grant it might qualify for. The fire truck estimate is expected to jump another 3-3.5 percent in February.