During Mayor Jim Strickland's budget presentation this week, he talked about plans for the new station.

The city has budgeted $4 million for construction and the new fire station right next to the old one.This is one of several recent investments into the Whitehaven community, Nelson thinks this new station may have a ripple effect across the neighborhood.

The department recently purchased a 2019 Freightliner 3,000-gallon tanker but it won’t be ready for use until August. WVFD’s fleet consists of trucks that have been purchased by the townships it serves, in addition to the town of Wheatfield. Fire departments from San Pierre, Hebron, DeMotte and Kouts also use the 1981 tanker for backup water when needed.

The fire department had a 1987 truck with a 95-foot tower ladder that had aged to the point where it was getting expensive to maintain, said Hooper. Also the large truck was hard to maneuver through some of the winding or narrow country roads,

The fire department did some research and purchased a 2003 E-ONE truck that was being retired in Burlington,Vermont. The department sold its old truck to the Pleasant Point Fire Department in Washington County. The truck, which has a 75-foot ladder, is a called a quint truck, meaning that it is a dual purpose truck with both a ladder and a pumper. It’s about 38 feet long, as opposed to the former truck which was 52 feet long.

A fire truck reportedly crashed and rolled over on Perrilloux Road while responding to the fire. No injuries were reported, according to Fire District 4.  

The fire was put under control but rekindled early this morning. Crews went back to the house to extinguish the fire. No one was hurt in the fire as everyone inside was able to get out safely.

The crash involving a ladder truck and five other vehicles occurred near the intersection of E. 38th Street and Minnehaha Avenue about 4:20 p.m., police said. No injuries were reported, said police spokesman John Elder.

Additional fire personnel were on the way to the scene in response, as well as police to piece together the circumstances of the crash.