MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. — A new fire truck has found a home in the Muskegon Heights Fire Department garage. It comes after months of back and forth between city council members to approve the $700,000 investment into the department.
As early as next week, firefighters will be taking the new truck out for a spin to get a feel for it before it's used to respond to emergencies.
"The staff is very excited about this new piece of equipment that we have now to service the community," Fire Chief Christopher Dean says. "It will be replacing a older unit that has been in service for approximately 24 years."
Chief Dean says the 2023 Rosenbauer fire engine is much needed.
"Although we're a small city, we're a very busy city where out running anywhere from five to ten calls each day," he says. "Our trucks see a lot of work."
It's equipped with a 1,500 gallon-per-minute water pump. It also comes with a foam capability, which is new for the department and its team of more than 15 full-time and part-time firefighters.
"It's just like the other trucks, except for as time goes by, there are new features that make it more user-friendly," Chief Dean says.
Mayor Walter Watt and other city council members checked out the truck Monday evening.
"I'm extremely excited. It is a great day in the city of Muskegon Heights for the citizens (and) for the staff that will be utilizing this truck to serve the citizens," Mayor Watt says.
The department started the process of looking for a new truck almost a year ago, and it took several months of debating the details for city council to approve this investment.
"It's not about where you've been, it's about where we're at," Mayor Watt says. "Right now, we have a brand new vehicle that is going to be serving this community and fighting fires and saving lives and having the firefighters do the work that they need to do safer than what they had in the past."
Once all the firefighters are up to speed on drivers training for this fire engine, and it's outfitted with all the extra equipment, then it'll be ready to fight fires.
The department is now evaluating what to do with the 24-year-old truck that the new one is replacing, based on the cost to potentially fix it.
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