New firetruck for Whitewater

The Whitewater Fire Protection District took delivery of a 2008 Crimson Fire International pumper from Towers Fire Apparatus on Monday. The truck was purchased using $199,500 from the 2007 FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program and a 5 percent match from Whitewater for the $218,000 total cost.

This FEMA grant is used to replace older fire equipment nationwide. Whitewater applied for the grant in April 2007, according to Roger English, Whitewater fire's safety officer. The truck features a three-person cab and a 1,500-gallon-per-minute pump that can draw from a regular hydrant or dry hydrants installed in the district that draw pond water. The truck also has a 1,000-gallon water tank and the ability to apply foam to chemical fires.

The truck will be on display from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at Whitewater City Park, at Route A and Whitewater Street.

"We just want to show the new truck to everyone in the district or anyone who wants to see it," English said. "We've always had used firetrucks. This is our first new one."