Odessa residents approve new firetruck

ODESSA--The Odessa Fire Department will be purchasing a new pumper/rescue firetruck after voters approved the measure last week. The vote included 64 yes votes and 18 no.
The fire department has a staggered replacement plan in place to schedule end-of-life apparatus purchases. The department says the pumper/rescue trucks are the costliest to replace in the fleet.
Approximately a fourth of the cost of the new truck will come from the capital equipment reserve account and the rest will be bonded and payments made from the existing budget. There is no tax increase because of the purchase.
Equipment from the soon-to-be-retired truck will be moved to the new one.
The new pumper will feature a larger pump that can deliver more water for firefighting and also have foam capability. The truck is designed to minimize the amount of climbing to access equipment and also be operational with fewer firefighters. There are also a number of new safety features.
The Odessa Fire Department will share photos of the truck being built on their Facebook page.