By: Ryan Duey
The Clay Center Fire Department (CCFD) unveiled a new fire truck on Monday, March 24th. CCFD’s new Engine 103 will serve as a rescue pumper truck, installed with hydraulics and the jaws of life.
Fire Chief John Ihnen said since he took over as Chief 15 years ago he and the city have been working to schedule a rotation of trucks.
“When I became Chief, one of my goals was to get the trucks into a rotation so that every eight years the city would buy a fire truck. Before this the city never had anything, they just kind of said, hey, we need a fire truck, and tried to come up with the money.”
“We started with our ladder truck, which we got in 2017. Then we got a pumper from Houston that put us into a rotation. When we bought this one that got us that last piece of the rotation.”
The new truck comes equipped with a 2,000-gallon-a-minute pump. With the addition of this truck to the fleet of three, CCFD can now pump a total of 6,000 gallons a minute between the fleet. Along with the pump, the truck comes with new features you would expect to see in a personal vehicle, such as a backup camera, digital features, and more.
With the addition of the new truck, comes the retirement of another. Ihnen said they will be retiring their 1996 fire truck, and he hopes it stays nearby.
“We’re hoping that a smaller community close by will purchase the fire truck. That way if we need help and we have to call for another department, we know what’s coming.”
The new fire truck completes CCFD’s first full round of fleet rotations. Adding additional features, reliability, and safety to the local fire crew as they continue to serve the community.
