Valparaiso donates firetruck to Gary
Both cities shore up firefighting equipment
Valparaiso Fire Chad Dutz handed the title of a 1996 firetruck to Gary Fire Chief Sean O’Donnell Thursday in an information ceremony outside Valparaiso city hall.
Valparaiso Mayor Matt Murphy and Gary Deputy Mayor Trent McCain joined the fire chiefs to mark the intercity cooperation.
The truck was a donation from Valparaiso to Gary in an effort to help ease some of the city’s equipment woes. O’Donnell said the city is currently down two fire trucks that were damaged on the job and sent out for repairs.
“We have been trying to upgrade our fleet,” O’Donnell said. The city purchased five new trucks five years ago.
One of those trucks was damaged last year when it was struck by a semitractor-trailer while on duty, O’Donnell said. The second was damaged in February while responding to a crash on Interstate 80/94 during a snowstorm. The fire truck was struck from behind by a skidding vehicle.
While both of the two new vehicles were out of commission, the fire department has been relying on its spare vehicles for calls. O’Donnell said those vehicles have a lot of wear due to the volume of
calls the city receives. On average, Gary firefighters respond to about 7,000 calls a year.
Repairs on vehicles like fire trucks can take time because they have to be sent back to the manufacturer. O’Donnell said he learned Thursday both trucks should be returned to the city at the end of April.
Dutz said the donated truck was a backup for his department that had not been used in about two years after the department purchased a new truck.
“It’s a good truck. It has no mechanical problems,” Dutz said. Valparaiso does not run its apparatus as much as a city like Gary. There is less wear and tear.
O’Donnell said while his department’s backup fire trucks are newer, the Valparaiso truck is in better condition.
Valparaiso Division Chief Tim Stites said he learned about the city’s need for the truck when talking to a friend during the snowstorm earlier this year. He knew his department had a truck in reserve and could maybe help.
“I called the chief immediately,” Stites said.
Stites and Dutz said Murphy was on board with the donation. The fire truck is worth about $15,000. Unlike other vehicle purchases, there is no trade-in opportunity, Stites said, so they often are donated. Many find their way to places like Guatemala, he said.
Murphy said donating the truck one of the city’s Northwest Indiana neighbors was the right thing to do.
“We are just happy to help,” Murphy said.
This is not the first time Valparaiso has been able to assist neighboring communities with equipment. Previously the department donated a truck to Portage for a $1. Dutz also said since the fire department is a fire territory, there is more funding available for equipment.
“That’s what it is about, helping each other out,” Dutz said.
Valparaiso will be purchasing three new trucks this year. Two regular trucks at about $550,000 each and one ladder truck with a price tag of about $1.1 million. Dutz said the department working on another possible donation to Gary.