Yorkton's Fire Protection Services have taken possession of its new piece of equipment, a 3,000 gallon tanker truck.
Trevor Morrissey, Deputy Chief of Prevention & Education with the department said at the truck's induction Friday the tanker "basically supports rural operations within five-miles" of the city.
Morrissey said the tanker will give the department a portable supply of water to help the department service agreements the City has with the rural municipalities of Orkney and Wallace to "support their services."
Yorkton Mayor James Wilson explained the City reached an agreement with the two neighbouring RMs whereby the department costs are shared on a percentage of the combined assessments of the three municipalities. The agreement has the City paying about 92 per cent of those costs, the RM of Orkney six per cent and the RM of Wallace just under two per cent. The agreement is being phased so as not to be "burdensome for residents of the RMs," added Wilson.
The annual cost for Fire Protection Services is approximately $2.8 million, with the RMs contributing about $200,000 annually once the agreement is fully implemented, explained Wilson.
Under the agreement fire response services are made available at "no costs to residents they'll be treated the same as a resident in the City," said Wilson.
With an agreement signed there was a need for a tanker vehicle to ensure a water source at rural fires. The tanker provides that, explained Morrissey.
"It provides us a portable water supply," he said.
The tanker unit has an on-board 500-gallon per minute pump, or it can simply dump the 3,000 gallons via an eight-inch gravity fed pipe into portable canvas like holding tanks which the Department is also purchasing, and then return to a water source for another load of water, explained Morrissey. The tanker will sit at the station filled at all times once it comes into service in the new year pending a once over by the City's Public Works Department.
There were no representatives from the two RMs at Friday's unveiling for comment of the agreement, or arrival of the tanker truck.
