Pembina-Manitou Fire Department welcomes new aerial pumper truck

The Pembina-Manitou Fire Department has a new piece of important equipment.  

A much-anticipated purchase 

Chief Chris Reynolds said the department has purchased a 75-foot aerial pumper truck. 

“We've been waiting for it for almost a year now, so we're quite excited to get it into our service,” he said.  

The truck was purchased from Morden Fire & Rescue in a deal that accommodated both departments’ objectives.  

While Morden Fire & Rescue was interested in replacing the equipment, the Pembina-Manitou Department was seeking to add to its rescue capabilities.  

Increasing safety 

Chief Reynolds said that his department’s new addition will be impactful on its members.  

“It's going to be tremendous for our guys catching roofs and getting that elevated water stream up and above the fire instead of at ground level,” he said. 

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“It also supports our role for vehicle fires and vehicle extrications at accidents, so it’s a well-rounded unit for us to use as our secondary pump.” 

The fire chief added that the department still has its primary truck in its arsenal as well. 

‘The legacy of this truck is going to keep on’ 

For Chief Reynolds, who is colleagues and friends with Chief Andy Thiessen of Morden Fire & Rescue, the purchase began with a conversation.  

“It kind of started off as a ‘haha, you should buy this,’ to ‘wait a minute. This is a pretty good idea,’” he said, adding that afterwards, his department won the bid for the truck.  

As much as the purchase impacts the Pembina-Manitou Fire Department, its presence is also a boon to all the departments in the region.

Another angle of the 75-foot aerial pumper truck the Pembina-Manitou Fire Department purchased from Morden Fire & Rescue.

“It leaves Morden with another backup to their city infrastructure .... All eleven departments [in the region] now have access to an elevated stream and ladder trucks, so it's been fantastic,” he said. “The legacy of this truck is going to keep on. I believe we're the third owner of it now. It started its life as an American truck.” 

An addition to an already strong team 

For Chief Reynolds, the new piece of equipment will complement his already effective group, which consists of 22 people mostly below 40 years old.   

“They're an incredible team .... If I can get them on a roof without asking them to climb a ground ladder or get water above without putting them on a roof, it's a big, big deal for me, and for [them],” he said.  

“They're quite excited to get a new piece of equipment and to train on it and benefit the community with it, so we're quite happy.” 

Chief Reynolds added that, as someone who serves a community he has watched flourish and grow, he is committed to its safety, and the new truck will help.  

He’s also appreciative of the support the Pembina-Manitou Fire Department has seen. 

“I'd like to thank our council and our fire board. The public has been very supportive of [purchasing the truck] and my team, as has the City of Morden and the chief down there,” he said.  

With files from Robyn Wiebe