Milford Fire Department trains on new truck

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Keeping equipment up-to-date is an important part of keeping firefighters safe on the job.

The Milford Volunteer Fire Department received training on its new Toyne pumper truck, Engine 31, on Jan. 9.

The truck will take its place in the fire station bay near a new grass rig and a new ambulance that were acquired over the last three years.

“I think each one of those improves safety,” said Milford City Council Member Dan Kral, who serves as liaison between the council and the fire department.

The $300,000 pumper truck was ordered a year ago and was finished and delivered to the department at the beginning of this year.

A grant from the Rural Fire District covered $200,000 of the cost, with part of that coming from a special county bond. The remaining $100,000 was paid by the City of Milford.

That’s a lot of money, but Kral said the all-volunteer department deserves it.

“If you don’t pay them a cent for their 20 calls a month, it’s the least we can do to keep them safe,” he said.

Kral said over the last nine years, the department has averaged 15 to 20 rescue calls and five fire calls per month, which includes providing mutual aid to other departments.

In 2017, the department had 221 rescue calls, which equals about four per week.

Eleven departments are part of the Rural Fire District, which gives grants for new equipment on a rotating basis every year, with separate rotations for fire trucks and ambulances.

If a department is not in need of a new vehicle, it can give its spot in the rotation to another town. That, in part, is how Milford received three new vehicles in such a short time.

Milford’s new Fire Chief Travis Fougeron said with the new pumper truck, the department should be in good shape for the next decade or so.

Fougeron took over as chief this year after serving as first assistant chief the last five years and second assistant chief before that.

The new truck, built by Toyne Inc. of Breda, Iowa, has a 1,200-gallon tank—meaning it can hold more than the department’s other 750-gallon pumper. It also has technology up to 20 years newer to help with safety and efficiency.

Fougeron said the department will likely keep the old truck but will get rid of an even older one.

Kral said a couple of Milford’s firemen visited the Toyne factory to go through the specifications of the truck before it was brought to Milford.

Toyne representative Joe Moller then came to Milford to give an introduction to the truck and teach firefighters how to use all its features.

Former Milford Fire Chief John Melena said new equipment is made possible by the people in the community the department serves.

“Without their support, none of this is possible,” Melena said. “They don’t get the credit they deserve for what they pay on their taxes. That goes to Rural Fire,” Melena said. “Without that, we’d be 20 years behind where we need to be.”

The fire department is running at capacity with 42 members.

“Our roster’s full. Our bays are full. All that comes from the support of the community and the people willing to help out their neighbor,” Melena said.

Melena said the new pumper fits in around the station, as many of the department’s other trucks are from the same manufacturer.

“These are, in my opinion, the best fire trucks on the road, and they’re better than most,” he said.