Reprint from the Progress Times - July 27, 2007
©Progress Times 2007 - All Rights Reserved

Mission firemen answer Alton’s fire alarms

By Kathy Olivarez

The Mission Fire Department has stepped up to the plate to help the Alton Fire Department answer its calls. Alton has one pumper truck that is currently out of repair, leaving Alton unable to handle calls for burning structures.

Chief Deputy Rene Lopez said Mission Fire Department is covering structural fires for Alton until their pumper is returned to service. Alton’s fire department jurisdiction includes the Mile 4 Road in the south and extends north to the county line. It runs from Taylor Road in the east to Iowa Road in the west.

Mission is answering only structural fire calls because Alton’s brush truck is able to answer city and rural non-structural calls.

Lopez said Mission would continue to help Alton for as long as it took to get the truck fixed if their services were needed. Most cities have interlocal agreements that allow them to help other cities when fires are too big for them to handle or when something such as a fire truck being out of service happens. Lopez said that helping Alton would not interfere with the city’s ability to care for fires in Mission.

George Arcaute, city manager of Alton, explained that Alton’s Pierce pumper truck was about 20 years old and the radiator had worn out. Because the truck is so old, it was difficult to find the parts needed to repair it.

As of late Tuesday, Arcaute said a central clearinghouse search for fire engine parts had located a radiator, which would be shipped to Alton within 48 hours. He is hopeful that the new radiator can be installed and the truck placed back in service by the end of the week or the first part of next week. Arcaute said that it would cost about $1,000 to fix the truck.

The city manager went on to say that he planned to budget for the purchase of a new pumper truck in the upcoming fiscal budget if possible. Arcaute said the life of a pumper truck is around 20 years.

In a conversation at press time, Arcaute said the city of Alton had located a used pumper truck that it was renting for $750 per day from Art’s Trucks in McAllen. The pumper truck is eight years old and was listed as surplus by a Valley city. It had been placed for sale.

Arcaute said if the truck performed well, the city might consider purchasing the truck, which was listed at $95,000 because a new truck would cost upwards of $300,000.

The truck has a mechanics certification, saying it is in good working order. But Arcaute emphasized it was not the age of the truck but the level of use and whether or not it had been in an accident that would be considered.