The truck can extinguish grass and field fires with a remote control nozzle mounted on its front.

It carries medical gear so that the firefighters can provide care before an ambulance from Fort Dodge arrives.

And it carries hydraulic rescue tools to free people from wrecked vehicles.

A federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant paid 95 percent of the roughly $367,000 cost of the truck. The remaining 5 percent of the cost will come from the budget approved by the local fire board, fundraisers and donations.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
Badger’s new fire truck is seen in the firehouse Monday evening. It is set up to fight grass and field fires, plus it carries medical and rescue gear. It was delivered in September.

The department benefits from the tremendous support of donors, according to Assistant Fire Chief Todd Johnson.

“What our supporters do is unbelievable,” he said.

According to Fire Chief Jeff Brundige, the new truck replaces two units: a pumper purchased in 1972 and a Chevrolet Suburban that was used for medical emergency calls.

The truck was built on a Ford F550 chassis by Heiman Fire Equipment, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

It can pump 350 gallons of water a minute.

It carries 350 gallons of water and 10 gallons of foam. That water and foam can be sprayed from the nozzle on the front of the truck, which is operated by a firefighter sitting in the cab. Brundige said the truck can drive right alongside a grass fire, spraying water on the flames as it moves.

“We can literally fight grass fires from inside the cab,” he said.

The truck has a built-in reel of hose that can also be used.

Brundige said the truck gives the department a more reliable piece of equipment that is also safer for firefighters to use.

The truck was delivered in September.

The Assistance to Firefighters Grant that paid most of the cost of the new truck is the fourth such award the Badger Fire Department has received in the last 20 years. Previous grants paid for self-contained breathing apparatus, a specialized washer and dryer for cleaning the firefighters’ protective clothing and a tanker truck.

The department protects the city of Badger and three surrounding townships, which is an area of about 60 square miles.