Fire department welcomes new pumper, fire chief
By Michael Johnson, Editor
Every time there was a structural fire or an accident requiring extrication, the Washburn Fire Department was counting on the vital tools in their equipment truck to arrive on scene as fast as was safe to do so. The trouble was the necessary equipment needed for a major accident or fire is a lot of equipment. So much, that when the Washburn Fire Department rolled across the scales with their trusty truck they found out that the 10,000 GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) truck was weighing in at about 15,000 GVW. The manufacturer suggests not exceeding the GVW for operating. Fire Chief Clayton Verke knew that they couldn't safely drive to an emergency when their own vehicle wasn't exactly safe to drive. After looking over the costs he approached the City of Washburn to see if commissioners would be willing to help pay some of the cost. On the low end, it would be a $150,000 bill to replace the vehicle with something more adequate for the equipment.
