The Moss Volunteer Fire Department receiving a new mini pumper truck thanks to a donation from the Turkey Creek Cattle Company.
Volunteer fireman Jonathon Leonard said the department is an all-volunteer organization that often faces financial hurdles when trying to afford expensive gear. Leonard said the donation process began when the owner of the cattle company reached out to the department directly to ask how he could provide financial assistance.
“We’ve been discussing trying to get a new truck but, you know, just trucks have went up so much in value the last five or six years,” Leonard said. “And then you gotta stock the truck, you know, you gotta have a pump and a tank and hose and hose reel and, you know, we carry chainsaws and stuff like that.”
Leonard said Assistant Chief and County Mayor Dale Reagan located the Ford F-350 mini pumper in Mississippi before having it delivered to Moss for a test drive. Leonard said the $75,000 vehicle was chosen because its smaller size is better suited for navigating woods and responding to brush fires than larger trucks with bulky beds.
“We used the mini pumper I’d say 75 percent of the time,” Leonard said. “Most of our calls are grass fires, forest fires, and stuff like that.”
Leonard said the addition of the truck provides the department with necessary fleet redundancy, bringing their total inventory to two mini pumpers, two fire engines, and two tankers. Leonard said having a second mini pumper allows the department to split crews during major events or respond to multiple calls simultaneously.
“So if something happens to one truck, we always have a backup,” Leonard said. “It’s a plus, you know. And then like during the ice storm back earlier this year, you know, we could’ve forked two crews off, you know, trying to clear the road.”
Leonard said the remainder of the $130,000 donation is being used to purchase four new air packs, which are expected to arrive in August and serve the department for 15 years. Leonard said the funds have also covered new chainsaws, with plans to purchase leaf blowers to assist with forest fire response.
“With the money he donated to us, we should be able to make that happen, make it just up to date stuff and make it easier for the firefighters and everybody be safer and, you know, be able to serve the community as they need us,” Leonard said.
Leonard said the department is currently waiting until August to hear the results of a grant application.