Local fire district clears purchase of new squad and accepts federal forestry grant match

The Saline County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 21 approved two items brought by David Turner, fire chief for Rural Fire District No. 5: a lease‑purchase for a 2024 International squad (a demonstration/unit) and acceptance of a federal forestry grant requiring a 50% local match.

Turner told commissioners his district recommends purchasing the 2024 International squad from Hayes Fire Equipment for $236,799 to replace a 2004 F‑550 brush truck that the district said no longer meets National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. Financing has been secured through Community Leasing Partners of Manhattan, Kansas, with a $40,000 down payment and a lease‑purchase structure; Turner described the financed principal in the presentation and said the expected annual payment would be about $25,008.

Separately, Turner reported that the district applied this spring for a U.S. Forest Service forestry grant to buy wildland tools such as drip torches, truck mounts, McLeod tools and handheld weather stations. Turner said the grant is a 50/50 match and that the grant award funds were released recently. He said the district would expend funds up front, then submit for reimbursement. Turner described using the department’s special equipment fund to provide the local match.

Commissioners asked about financing terms and whether the county could internally finance lease purchases; staff said that option had not been explored in detail but could be considered at a later date. There were no public objections. The commission approved the lease purchase (RFA 2025‑1‑42) and the forestry grant acceptance (RFA 2025‑1‑49). Both motions carried unanimously.

Turner said the district plans to sell the old apparatus “as is” after the new unit is in service, either to another department or at auction, and that he expected to apply any reimbursement from the forestry grant back into the special equipment account.