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Henry County commits $100,000 toward Collinsville Volunteer Fire Department's new custom pumper
Summary
After presentations and countywide recognition of rising equipment costs, supervisors approved $100,000 from general funds to help Collinsville VFD buy a custom pumper; Collinsville trustees pledged additional department funds and equipment to the project.
The Henry County Board of Supervisors voted to allocate $100,000 from the county general fund to help the Collinsville Volunteer Fire Department purchase a custom pumper truck, after department leaders and local chiefs described the vehicle as a long-term safety investment.
Collinsville presented proposals from multiple vendors and sought the board's help to bridge a funding gap. The department identified a custom pumper already built and available for delivery within 90 days; the custom option cost roughly $800,150 while a commercial-alternative quote ran about $631,000. Collinsville's leadership said the department would invest an additional $116,859 and contribute about $115,000 in onboard equipment to the vehicle, leaving a $100,000 shortfall the department asked the county to cover.
"On behalf of Collinsville Fire Department and the citizens of Collinsville, I hope you look at this. This is a 25 to 30 year investment," Collinsville representative Daryl Emerson said in his presentation, explaining that custom pumpers are engineered as fire apparatus from chassis-up and include safety features such as third-party-tested rollover protection and extended warranties.
Fire chiefs from across the county spoke in support. Bassett Chief and others emphasized that custom cabs provide stronger protection for crews in rollovers and that lead times and price inflation for fire apparatus have grown dramatically: one chief said the county's recent ladder truck purchase rose from approximately $1.2 million to $2.5 million between order and delivery.
Board members voted in favor of the $100,000 appropriation. Supervisors and department leaders also discussed moving an existing tanker into the Patriot Center for joint training and to expand operational capacity across the county. The board recorded the vote as unanimous.
County staff said the appropriation will be paid from the county general fund; Collinsville will then finalize purchase and delivery arrangements with the vendor after the county's commitment.
