NEWTON, Kan. (KSNW) — Newton Fire and EMS has received a federal grant to purchase a new fire engine tender truck .
The department has been awarded a Federal Assistance for Firefighter’s Grant (AFG) from FEMA, totaling $518,181.81. Under the grant, Newton will be required to pay 10% of the total cost of the $570,000 vehicle.
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The new truck will replace a 41-year-old military-style unit with an employee-built water tank. According to the department, the tank did not provide a sufficient amount of water and did not have the right dump valves to make it useful for shuttling water to rural fires.
The department says the new tender will be a “game changer,” allowing them to respond to rural fires and be used as a backup if another fire engine is out of service…