Calhoun County Council: Caw Caw seeks fire truck money

The Caw Caw officials presented the request to Calhoun County Council at the Dec. 11 council meeting.

Department Chief Nick Stabler said the department’s 32-year-old pump truck needs to be replaced with a new engine to keep up with current and future growth in the area.

The station received 210 calls in 2015, compared to 500 in 2022, he said.

“As our area grows with new homes and businesses, we the fire service have to be prepared to grow so we can protect the taxpayers of Calhoun County,” he said.

The station has found a 2022 Metrostar fire engine that can seat six firefighters, deliver over 2,000 gallons of water and has a firefighting foam system to reduce the truck’s water usage by 67%, firefighter Tris Waystack said.

“That’s a huge deal for us when we’re a rural county with very limited fire hydrants,” Waystack said. “If we can reduce the water it takes to fight a structure fire in someone’s home, get in and save their family and cut our water use by 67% – we can save property faster, we can do it for a cheaper cost, we can do it safer for our firefighters.”

The truck costs $810,000, Waystack said.

The department wants to apply for a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that will cover $452,000 of that sum, with the county needing to take on the remaining $358,000, he said.

The department is confident it will receive the federal money, but the county will need to commit to partnering with the department to find the rest of the funding before the department can apply for the grant, Stabler said.

“Prior to applying, we don’t need the money, we don’t necessarily even need to know where the money’s coming from,” Waystack said. “We just need a commitment that if we apply and win this grant, that you’ll work with us to help us figure out how to come up with this money.”

“As a small station, we can’t make payments on that truck on our own,” he said.

The new truck has advanced systems that can serve the department for many years to come, Waystack said. The truck’s foam capabilities could be used by any station in the county, which would be useful for fighting industrial or commercial fires that may occur with new development in the northern part of the county.

There is only one truck with foam in the county, currently stationed in Sandy Run, he said.

“This truck is the future of firefighting,” he said.

District resident Darryl Williams spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting to voice his support for the new engine, saying it would allow the department to respond to fires more reliably, quickly and efficiently.

“I think that by the Caw Caw fire station having a modern firefighting vehicle, it’s going to provide safety for them to be able to get back to their families safely while they provide protection for our community,” Williams said.

The department will look to sell its 1991 model truck to another station, Waystack said.

The new truck would take the 1991 truck’s place at the department’s main station on Highway 6, Waystack said. The older truck is in good condition, but it takes longer to build up water pressure due to its age.

“Sometimes you go to crank that truck at 2 in the morning and it’s not ready to roll,” he said. “Three minutes can be the difference between life and death.”

The department has two other engines currently in service. The newest, a 2007 model, would move from the main station on Highway 6 to the substation on Murph Mill Road, Waystack said. The other, a 1999 model, would remain on as a back-up.

County Council Chairman James Haigler said council will take the request under consideration.

The grant application opens on Jan. 29, 2024 and the department would like a commitment from the county by then, Waystack said.

The department is exploring other funding options but is hopeful they will be able to work with the county, Waystack said.

“We know nobody wants to pay more for anything, but this isn’t just something we want, it’s a legitimate need for the people of the county,” he said.