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Columbus Volunteer Fire Department announced the addition of a 2,000-gallon tanker to their fleet, partially funded by a grant from the Texas A&M Forestry Service, Friday, Nov. 21.
The new tanker, built by the Fouts Brothers in La Grange, will primarily support Columbus VFD with firefighting in rural areas of the county. The tanker will serve as the department’s new secondary water deployment after their primary 1,000-gallon fire engine, replacing the current 2,500-gallon tanker due to its maneuverability. The 2,500-gallon tanker will then be third in line.
“It will be more maneuverable and be able to get into tighter areas, more load-restricted bridges, because it’s not going to weigh as much [and be] easier to drive,” Assistant Fire Chief Sidney Chollett said. “…It’s not to say we can’t use it within the city limits, but it’s predominately for rural firefighting.”
Chollett said that the department selected a 2,000-gallon tanker instead of a larger model due to having the support of nearby departments.
“We do have neighboring departments that all have 3,000 and 4,000 [gallon] tankers that can assist us with one phone call or page out,” Chollett said.
Chollett said that the tanker still awaits titling, insurance and a hose before being placed into service. The assistant chief added that the firefighters would not need much additional training on the truck due to it being a similar build to their other tanker. He said the department is “awfully anxious” to put the truck into service.
“As soon as we do get the hose, the city gets the insurance, and we get the title and everything is taken care of in that end, then we will put the truck in service,” Chollett said. “If the hose comes in, we will probably have some firemen come up that night to load the truck to get it in service.”
The process to receive a new tanker started all the way back in 2006 when Columbus VFD submitted a grant application to the Texas A&M Forestry Service. The department finally received a $300,000 cost-sharing grant in late October through the service’s Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program. Donations and fundraisers in years past raised the remaining amount needed for the $465,000 tanker.
“We knew sooner or later we were going to get this grant, so we’ve been saving up the balance of the money for it for when it came in,” Chollett said.
Chollett said the Forest Service plans to travel to Columbus to formally present the award and take photos in the near future. He said that all the firefighters are happy to receive the new tanker.
