The Clarkdale Fire District will eventually be getting a brand new water tender truck to replace an aging and obsolete one.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency this month awarded a grant to the district for the new vehicle through a Department of Homeland Security program created to help fire agencies.
The award was for $210,672.
The total amount set aside for the new water tender is $221,760.
Departments use a water tender to pump and make water available in fire situations where there isn’t a hydrant around, a common situation in many places in the Verde Valley.
Clarkdale Fire Chief Joe Moore said that the grant award was most welcome as the district’s current water tender is quickly becoming harder to service.
The district currently has two 1987 model water tenders, one which is being used by the town’s public works department.
The Ford vehicles are expensive to maintain, Moore said.
To read the full story, see the Wednesday, July 16, edition of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
