Caulfield VFD gets three new trucks and new gear, continues to raise funds with upcoming hunters’ breakfast
Clad in new turnout gear, Caulfield Volunteer Fire Depart-ment firefighters stand in front of Caulfield pumper #1, a 1989 Chevrolet Kodiak truck with the capacity to hold 1,000 gallons of water. The fire department was able to purchase two trucks and new gear after Caulfield VFD members voted earlier this year to trade in the 1993 Freightliner truck the department had been using. Firefighters pictured are, from left, back row: Assistant Chief Brandon Watkins and Chief Shannon Sisney. Front: firefighter and first responder David Kingsolver, Capt. Lonza Keaton and Lt. Joey Hedrick.
Caulfield VFD acquired these two trucks after trading in their old firetruck, which had several issues. The 1993 International tanker/pumper, pictured in front, has a Cummins N14 diesel engine, Allison automatic transmission, a Hale 500-gallon-per-minute pump and a 3,000-gallon water tank on the back. The 1989 Chevrolet Kodiak pumper behind the other truck features a Detroit 8.2T engine, Allison automatic transmission, Hale 1,000-gallon-per-minute, two-stage water pump and a 1,000-gallon tank.
Caulfield VFD applied for and received a truck from the Missouri Department of Conservation fire department assistance program. Firefighters turned the original vehicle, pictured above, into a CVFD brush truck (bottom photo). The firefighters painted the truck and added components so it can be used to fight wildland fires in fields and wooded areas.
Thanks to the hard work of its firefighters and department supporters, Caulfield Volunteer Fire Department is much better equipped to fight fires than it was eight months ago. The fire department, which did not have a reliable vehicle earlier this year, is now serving the community with a reliable pumper truck, a tanker/pumper and a brush truck plus new turnout gear, the protective clothing and equipment firefighters wear while fighting fires. It’s also looking to purchase new self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBA).
“We are thankful for our community that we volunteer to serve for supporting us and helping us to make these exciting new changes possible,” Caulfield VFD Chief Shannon Sisney told the Times. “We are also grateful for the useful equipment and gear to help us better serve and protect those that depend on us. We are all blessed to be alive and well and able to have the ability, and now the means to do what we love to do for the community.”
The challenge of fighting fires without reliable equipment
A story in the Feb. 28 edition of the Ozark County Times, (“Caulfield VFD struggles to make ends meet, starts fundraising campaign”) detailed a pretty grim reality. The fire department’s main firefighting vehicle, a 2009 Freightliner pumper truck, had a multitude of issues, including the inability to travel more than 45 miles an hour, an air leak in the brake system, a water leak, an oil leak and the fact that the vehicle burned an enormous amount of fuel. The truck’s pump was also having issues and had, on at least one occasion, stopped pumping water while the firefighters were battling a blaze.
Sisney told the Times in February that he constantly worried about the state of the truck. “It’s to the point that I don’t even want to train with it, because I’m afraid it will fail, and we won’t have a truck at all,” he said.
CVFD firefighters were also working with expired turnout gear and SCBAs. The expired gear was of particular concern, Sisney said, because after the expiration date, the gear has potentially broken down enough so that it may or may not take the heat and torture it must endure while fighting fire inside a structure.
Caulfield VFD mailed ballots to all CVFD members earlier this year, asking residents if they believed the department should keep the pumper truck and spend money to repair it or trade it in for different vehicles. Sisney said the members voted 93-19 to trade in the truck.
Three new trucks and new gear
Heeding its members’ directive, the department traded in the old truck and purchased two “new” (used) vehicles and five brand-new sets of turn-out gear.
The department now has a 1989 Chevrolet Kodiak pumper truck that carries 1,000 gallons of water and pumps 1,000 gallons of water per minute. A fire department official said that although it is an older model vehicle, it only has 21,000 miles on it. The other truck is a 1993 International tanker/pumper, with 20,000 miles on it, that carries 3,000 gallons of water and pumps 500 gallons of water per minute. The trade-in means that Caulfield firefighters can leave the fire station with a total of 4,000 gallons of water, a big improvement over the 1,250 gallons of water their former Freightliner carried.
The remainder of the trade-in value left over from the old Freightliner was paired with a little cash from a Memorial Day fish fry fundraiser to allow the firefighters to purchase five brand-new sets of Innoyex turnout gear with new helmets and brand-new wildland firefighting gear. The department also purchased two new hose nozzles, 400 feet of new hose and a thermal-imaging camera, allowing firefighters to find “hot spots” and, potentially, victims within a fire.
Sisney said the department still has some funds left over, and they are currently discussing the possibility of purchasing new SCBAs or trying to have the SCBAs they currently own repaired.
In addition to the two vehicles purchased from the trade-in of the old truck, CVFD was also able to apply for and receive a 1985 Chevrolet truck from the Missouri Department of Conservation’s fire department assistance program. The program provided CVFD with the base vehicle, and the firefighters put a lot of work into it, turning it in to a brush truck that can be used to fight wildland fires in area fields and timber.
Deer hunters’ breakfast and bake sale
A deer hunters’ breakfast and bake sale fundraiser will be held from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, at the Caulfield VFD firehouse on Highway 160. The cost of the breakfast will be $8 per person; it will include pancakes, biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, bacon, coffee, soda, juice or water. CVFD is asking its members to help out with the sale by providing baked goods to be sold. For information about providing baked goods, call Sisney at 417-719-9911.
For more information
To receive updates and information on the Caulfield VFD, “like” the Caulfield Membership Fire Department’s Facebook page. To become a member of the volunteer fire department, call 417-719-9911. Dues are $35 per household per year.