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Truman fire chief offers update

TRUMAN — The city of Truman and surrounding townships held an annual fire department meeting Thursday.

Truman Fire Chief Dave Bentz began these meetings several years ago as a way to communicate more effectively with the townships.

Representatives from Waverly, Westford and Nashville townships were present, along with several Truman council members and fire department personnel.

Bentz reported there were 14 runs last year, which was near normal. There were 228 man hours in firefighting and 683 hours of training.

“It was a quiet year, which is a good thing too because that means no one’s getting hurt and property isn’t being damaged,” he said.

Bentz noted it was a good year for grants, with the department getting around $130,000 worth. The biggest was a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant that Truman used to get new air packs and bottles.

Bentz provided an update on the fire that broke out Dec. 29 in Northrop. The LB Pork grain elevator had exploded the day before. After the fire broke out, more than 50 agencies responded to the scene. The fire burned for several days, before being extinguished on Dec. 31.

“We still have a lot more questions than we have answers on that,” Bentz said.

He went on to provide some statistics.

Truman spent 667 man hours firefighting during the elevator fire. They pumped water for 62 hours straight from fire engine 3, the truck Truman bought last year. More than 414,000 gallons of water came out of Truman alone.

As for billing, Bentz said the department had a meeting with area fire chiefs and state fire marshals, and it was decided the best thing to do is to run Truman’s costs through the League of Minnesota Cities insurance policy.

Bentz reported he has put together a bill for truck hours, man hours and some gas, as well as the water bill from Truman, but it could be as long as a year before anything is reimbursed.

In other news, there was talk about a possible increase in what to charge for runs. As of now, Truman charges $1,000. Several area towns charge $1,000 per run plus $250 per hour. Bentz asked those present for their input and the general consensus was to charge per additional hour, with the understanding that most fires are put out within an hour. Bentz said he would put together a proposal and bring it to the townships and council before making a final decision.

While Truman is not expected to need to buy a new fire truck for several years, the department is looking at increasing its savings. The city will raise its annual donation by $1,000, and it was proposed to raise the townships annual donation as well.

It was decided each township would need to vote before a final decision is made.

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