Fly Creek Fire Company Unveils New, ‘Lightly Used’ Fire Truck
By ERIC SANTOMAURO-STENZEL
FLY CREEK
Dozens of firefighters, their families, and other locals gathered at the Fly Creek fire station to welcome a newly-purchased, lightly-used fire truck on its journey back from an Illinois fire department on Wednesday, November 12. Officials said the new truck will bring more capacity and reliability—without requiring new expenses for taxpayers.
“It’s gonna allow us to be able to respond without worrying about our trucks breaking down,” Chief Steven Baker told AllOtsego. “Anytime you can have a fleet that is operating without worries, it’s a benefit to our community.”
“A new truck is anywhere from $800,000.00 to a million dollars,” Baker continued. “So we purchased this truck for $390,000.00.
“We’re just happy that commissioners were able to afford to pay for this truck. We didn’t have to finance it. We didn’t have to bill our taxpayers any more money,” Baker added.
Nationally, new fire trucks are in short supply, with few suppliers to choose from. Many departments face years-long waitlists for expensive trucks.
First Assistant Chief Adam Kantor, who has been filling in for Baker since he had an off-duty road accident, managed much of the process of identifying and purchasing the truck. He and another firefighter flew out to Illinois and drove the truck back. The fire company introduced its new vehicle with a “wet-down,” a traditional way of welcoming a new truck into the fleet.
“You can only do 67 miles an hour max speed in this thing,” Kantor said. “It’s a big truck, it’s a good truck. And it was flawless all the way home. Not any issues.”
On the drive back, Kantor recalled, “We got a cool discount at Texas Roadhouse halfway along because they saw the fire truck.”
After speeches and a blessing, attendees enjoyed cake in the fire house.
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