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The old tanker has served Rappahannock County well, but can no longer do the job effectively. The engine is no longer strong enough to haul wuter up steep hills and driveways. The tanker is difficult to drive under the best of conditions, and the open cub is unsafe for carrying fire fighters.
The new fire truck/tanker will solve these problems. It will have a powerful engine to navigate steep hills, on automatic transmission for ease of driver training and carry sis firefighters safely in an enclosed cab. The new tanker will also have a more powerful pump so the tanker can act as an auxiliary pumper at fires. It will also have compressed air foam tor fighting fires. Foam is important in Rappahannock as it effectively triples the amount of water available at a fire.
Huw can a truck cost so much? Washington Volunteer Fire and Rescue has promised a series of articles to help everyone who is interested understand what it takes to purchase and build a new fire truck for Rappahannock. But for starters, think of a truck strong enough to haul a 2.000-gallon swimming pool on rugged roads and up steep hills in all types of weather. Then add to the truck a 1.250-gnllonper-minute pump, air compressors, electrical systems. lights, sirens, digital monitoring systems and compartments for bringing all manner of firefighting gear to a fire, along with six volunteer firefighters.
Before awarding a contract to Slagle/KME. Washington evaluated proposals from six contractors for cost, design, firefighting capability and delivery schedule. Slage/KME provided the best overall solution. They met the design requirements at the lowest cost. Slage/KME will custom build a tanker to meet the needs of Rappahannock County’s homeowners.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will provide a grant that will pay for slightly half the cost of the new tanker, but Washington will need to raise the remaining $214.(X)0 through a series of fund-raising activities and a loan that has been promised from the Department of Agriculture. Rural Development Agency.
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