The City of North Battleford received a request from the local Rotary Club proposing the city donate one of its old fire trucks planned for replacement in the future to a country in need. (file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff) 

By Angela Brown

Request for support

City receives request from Rotary Club to donate old fire truck to country in need

Jun 13, 2020 | 8:00 AM

The Rotary Club of the Battlefords submitted a request to the city to donate an old surplus fire truck to the club to benefit a country in need, when it is no longer used.

“It’s an interesting idea. Council will consider it when we discuss budget, because there are some financial implications,” North Battleford Mayor Ryan Bater told battlefordsNOW.

He said typically when the city replaces a fire engine, it sells the current old one to help offset the cost of the new truck, so that is a factor to consider.

The mayor said the city will not be able to decide on the matter until likely the end of the year.

“We’re dealing with a lot of unknowns in terms of next year’s budget because of the pandemic,” Bater said. “There are a lot of financial challenges. So we just need to understand the whole picture before we make a decision.”

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Councillor Kevin Steinborn, who used to be a deputy fire chief of prevention before retiring several years ago, mentioned during council’s meeting the amount of money the city would get for selling an old fire truck, especially if it is not serviceable anymore, would not be significant, adding that “to serve a different community or a different country it’s a great thing.”

North Battleford Fire Chief Lindsay Holm said in the past similar initiatives have been supported, but “we have never done it with a fire truck.”

He said he would support the proposal if council was in favour of it in the future.

Holm said when an old former ladder-fire-truck was sold in the past it garnered about $37,000. A rescue-unit would have been valued at a smaller amount but wasn’t able to bring in the estimated figure in a sale.

Holm offered the sale-value comparisons so council “could make a good sound decision” when it looks at the request later in the year.

“It will have some budget implications for when we do purchase that new truck in the following year,” Holm said, adding the purchase of the new truck would likely be covered over a two-year period.

Rotary Club of the Battlefords President Glenda Rye told battlefordsNOW the club’s proposal ties in with Rotary’s values.

If the proposal is accepted the donation would likely benefit Mexico where a fire truck is greatly needed.

“If we can make use of something that is no longer needed here, it is a really great idea to help out other people,” Rye said. “That is what Rotary does. We help out our immediate community, the community around us and we also help out worldwide.”

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW