Mount Carmel to pursue grant for new ladder truck

Mount Carmel City Manager Emily Wood told the Board of Mayor and Aldermen last week she will seek approval at the next meeting for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for a new ladder truck.

The grant would cover up to $420,000 with an $84,000 match from the city for the Fire Department to purchase the vehicle.

It also requires Chief Mitch Walker and the Department to petition city residents, receiving 500 signatures from residents to be considered. The grant application also requires the to participation of the school.

The town is hoping to purchase a vehicle that is less than 10 years old with low mileage to replace the older truck used by the city that handles most of the fires on the eastern half of Hawkins County. New trucks cost over $1 million.

Walker said grants aren’t awarded until November. Wood added that the town is 3-4 years from having to purchase a new ladder truck, and the city needed to get the process started.

“We’ll eventually have to have (a new truck) either way, so if we can get something only paying $80,000 versus half a million, it would be better,” Chief Walker said.

‘Continues to pass certification’

The current truck is a 24-year-old model with over 120,000 miles. It was purchased by the city in 2017 for $20,000.

Walker said the truck was “well used” even when it was purchased.

“It does what we need and it continues to pass certification, but we spend a lot of money on maintenance to keep it at that level,” Walker said.

He also said a firetruck with that many miles is “unheard of” and estimated that the city was going to pay a total of $5,000 in maintenance fees on the truck barring any major issues by the end of the year.

Alderman John Gibson said that looking through maintenance costs, saving the equipment from the old truck, and factoring in what the city could get by selling the truck would make the effort all worthwhile.

Gibson added, “This could be a substantial amount of money that you’re saving. This not only helps us, but helps the whole upper end of the county.”

New utility truck

Chief Walker also gave the board an update on the delivery of the new utility truck that was voted to purchase in May 2023 for $200,000.

The truck is expected to arrive in Mount Carmel in early May.

The older 2008 model truck owned by the city answered around 70 percent of calls. Its smaller frame allows for easier maneuverability in small spaces and is the primary vehicle for accidents, small structure fires, and brush fires.