New Palouse firetruck responds to first call

The new Palouse firetruck went out on its first call Nov. 6, its debut except for the Palouse Days parade. The department bought the 1997 HME pumper-tanker in July from a dealer in Lawrenceburg, Tenn.

The fire call, which coincidentally happened during a training meeting, led to a large crew responding, riding along in the new truck’s closed, four-man cab.

For what was a chimney fire off Highway 27, firefighters ultimately only needed chainsaws and extinguishers.

The new pumper-tanker was put on duty in September, replacing a 1987 Pierce.

Palouse Fire Chief Mike Bagott and his volunteer crew moved ladders from the Pierce and installed radios and decals on the new truck. The ‘87 was sold to Farmington for $15,000.

The new, used truck has 1,000 gallons more capacity than its predecessor. The town paid $88,000 for the rig, which was last in service in the city of Gulfport, Miss.

Palouse made the purchase to stay within the the department’s 30-year replacement schedule for vehicles.