County Budget Committee Okays Funding for Fire Truck

The DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department may soon get a newer pumper for the Midway station.
The county budget committee met Tuesday night and approved a budget amendment appropriation of up to $180,000 from the capital projects fund for a fire truck. The recommendation will go to the county commission for final approval. Bids will soon be advertised for the truck.
As WJLE first reported last month, County Fire Chief Donny Green addressed the county commission during an all committees meeting April 19, renewing a request he made last summer with the county budget committee.
Chief Green, last year, asked that $180,000 be budgeted to purchase a fire pumper to replace the Midway engine which is a 1979 model. By doing this, Green said “we can take the 1975 model truck out of service at the Austin Bottom station and place the 1979 Midway truck at Austin Bottom. This station (Austin Bottom), he said has a low call volume and the 1979 truck should be adequate to “hold them over for a few more years”. Green said the county is looking at major expenses if it continues to keep the 1975 truck at the Austin Bottom Station.
Green’s funding request last summer was not included in the budget this year but he was told that the issue could be revisited later. Chief Green urged the county commission to follow a regular replacement schedule on fire department vehicles, or risk several of them having to be replaced at once.