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3rd new firetruck arrives
The Vindicator (Youngstown)
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The Austintown Fire Department brought home its third new fire engine in three years. Assistant Fire Chief Andy Frost III obtained a $500,000 grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a 79-foot ladder truck that will operate out of the part-time Raccoon Road station. The township was only responsible for 10 percent of the $500,000.
The Vindicator (Youngstown)
Photo
The Austintown Fire Department had the Fitch Falcon painted on either side of its brand-new, 79-foot ladder truck. The truck, which was purchased through a $500,000 FEMA grant, will be housed at the Raccoon Road station, which is currently under renovation thanks to another grant — $333,000 — obtained by the department.
By Elise Franco
AUSTINTOWN
The township’s fire department was able to purchase its third new firetruck in three years, thanks to a $500,000 federal grant.
The 2011 model, 79-foot ladder truck arrived at the station Friday and is the replacement for a 1981 ladder truck that was taken out of service two years ago, said Fire Chief Andy Frost Jr.
Frost Jr. said the department was able to purchase the truck after Assistant Chief Andy Frost III wrote and obtained a grant for $500,000 through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
He said the new truck will operate out of the part-time station on Raccoon Road once a $333,000 renovation — also funded by a grant — is complete this fall.
The township was responsible for paying 10 percent of the grant plus some additional costs, which ended up being about $52,000, he said.
“We needed this truck,” the chief said. “We lost a point in our [Insurance Services Office] rating because we were shy a ladder truck for two years.”
A township’s ISO rating is important because the more compliance a township shows, the better the insurance rates for residents. Frost said the new truck should take Austintown from Class 5 to Class 4.
“The ISO wants a ladder truck at that station because there are so many apartments in the area,” he said.
Township Trustee Jim Davis said it’s impressive that the department has been able to secure so much grant money and so many trucks in a short period of time. The department was also able to purchase trucks in 2008 and 2009 through federal grants.
“When you actually put it into perspective as to what we’re getting, it’s like getting a $50,000 BMW for five grand,” he said. “The people who are awarding these grants realize we’re putting this money to good use.”