The Beiseker Fire Department received a 1983 water tender on Oct. 14, which is a vast improvement on what the municipality has now, after a unanimous vote by Rocky View County (RVC) council on Oct. 13 to donate it to the Village.
Rocky View Fire Services Department Chief Randy Smith said the tender, which started its days as a gravel truck before being retrofitted to a water tender in 1997 that serviced Irricana and finally Madden, was getting ready for disposal through auction when Beiseker requested the vehicle to replace its non-operational tender.
Smith said the decision to donate the vehicle was actually a little self-serving as the Beiseker Fire Department responds in support of the Irricana Fire Station and the surrounding rural areas to assist with fires, but he is also just happy to see the tender still running in the County.
“It served a long time in Rocky View,” he said. “It’s good to see it will continue to serve.”
Beiseker Mayor Ray Courtman said though most of Beiseker is covered by fire hydrants that could control fires within the village, the new tender would get water on the move to help rural farming areas around Beiseker and grassfires that can be extremely difficult to douse.
“(The tender) will really add to the abilities of our excellent volunteer fire department,” Courtman said.
RVC administration noted during the council meeting since firefighters in Beiseker are volunteers, it would be difficult to justify the $250,000 cost of purchasing a new water tender especially since the primary purpose would be to service County Fire Services.
Responding to far fewer calls than it would servicing the Rocky View Fire Services Department, Smith said the tender should give Beiseker five more years of good service at least.
“It’s a show of good regional co-operation between neighbours,” said Councillor Greg Boehlke during the RVC council meeting where the donation was approved.
Beiseker Fire Chief Bob Ursu said the tender would hopefully be serving the village in the next few weeks as it goes for inspections, gets re-decaled to represent Beiseker and department staff get in some practice time operating the truck.
“It’s going to be a great asset to the village, to everyone in the surrounding communities and the county, but hopefully we won’t have to use it a lot,” Ursu said.
-with files from Jessi Gowan
