“I need to thank the people of Middleton who understood the importance of and approved this new truck.”Town Administrator Andy Sheehan echoed Twiss’ gratitude. “It is a great asset to the Town.”A custom designThe truck took 380 days to build, specifically for Middleton’s requirements at a cost of $461,660.“This truck carries 950 gallons of water and 50 gallons of foam,” noted Twiss, who traveled to Pennsylvania to do the final inspection of the new fire engine before it was delivered.“The foam is important, especially in a commercial, industrial or roadway setting, because it allows us to at least make an initial attack. We can and will still call for the regional foam truck, but when you consider the traffic on the roads these days, it can take a long time to get here. With the foam on board we have a chance to control the situation faster,” explained Twiss.The Middleton fire chief shows off the tools of the new fire truck with great pride as he played a key role in designing it. He cites important elements and technologies like the on-board generator, more hose and the enhanced scene lighting features. Even the location and ease of use of the control panel is important as it makes the firefighter’s jobs easier and faster when just seconds can make a big difference in saving a life or controlling a fire.

The new piece of equipment has built in foam dispensers and is equipped with the latest and greatest gadgets.

While putting out fires is this engine’s main function, it comes with an additional benefit for the community.

“Every community goes through a rating system by the insurance companies that are called property protection class ratings and we went through a review and they were expecting this truck in that review and we improved our rating,” said Gladstone Public Safety Director Paul Geyer. “So people that pay home owner’s insurance and business insurance, the better rating we have, the better rates they get on their home owner’s insurance. It’s helping out the community in more ways than one.”

The department hopes the new truck will exceed the typical lifespan due to the high craftsmanship.

According to West, the truck has a 400-gallon water tank, a 10-gallon foam tank and will be used as the department's first out truck for all types of emergencies, including vehicle accidents, farming incidents and wildland and structure fires.

The department's previous truck was a 1985 truck that had passed through many departments prior to finding a home with Trout Creek.

"It is good to now have a dependable vehicle that can help us to serve our community with greater capacity and be a safer response vehicle for our volunteers," said West.

Texas A&M Forest Service is committed to protecting lives and property through the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program, a cost-share program funded by the Texas State Legislature and administered by Texas A&M Forest Service.

A new effort is helping the Glasgow Volunteer Fire Department end that danger.

They just received a truck with a crane that will allow them to launch their boats from practically anywhere. Before, they could only put in at a nearby boat landing.

Chief John Hill said the truck could save them at least twenty minutes in response time.

"In water rescues, seconds and minutes means lives and when we can speed those up, then people stand a better chance of coming out," said Hill.

He says it's already been used on eight rescues. That includes helping rescue teams in Alleghany County last week.

"It gives me a comfort level to know that there could be the possibility we could deploy a boat and carry all the things that we need with water rescue on the truck and that speeds up the whole process," he said.