Havre donates fire truck to Kremlin fire department

Editor’s note: Havre Fire Chief Mel Paulson told the Havre Daily News after the paper went to press that the Havre City Council vote to approve donating a fire truck to the Kremlin Rural Fire District was an error. The Rudyard Volunteer Fire Department had agreed to take the truck, but the wrong district was listed in the motion voted on by the council. Paulson said a resolution to donate the truck to the Rudyard department will be on the next City Council agenda.

Havre City Council approved helping out a rural volunteer fire department Monday by donating a fire truck the city no longer uses.

The council approved donating the Havre Fire Department’s 1973 Howe fire engine to the Kremlin Rural Fire District.

Kremlin Fire Chief Kody Peterson said this morning that Kremlin Fire Department supports all of Kremlin’s neighboring departments when needed. By having the newer truck, which is able to store more water, the department will be able to better assist and support other departments.

“It will be a huge asset in helping us,” he said.

After Havre Fire Department received its new fire engine last summer, Peterson said, Fire Chief Mel Paulson told him the Havre department had an extra truck which was sitting idle.

Havre Fire Department’s first new truck in 26 years is a handmade Pierce Arrow XT fire engine.

Peterson said that after the Kremlin fire department heard the Howe was sitting idle, his department then approached Paulson and asked if Havre could donate the truck to Kremlin.

Peterson said that Kremlin has been looking to replace one of its older trucks and this gave them an opportunity to do it.  

The newer truck is a big enhancement from their 1967 Ford, he said. The Ford has been used for emergencies such as structure fires and has a healthy pump, but was in need of an upgrade.

The Howe is set up to be able to hook into fire hydrants, so the truck can remain stocked full while still supplying water to several other fire trucks at a time.

That was the big enhancement his department was looking for, Peterson said.

The council also approved setting in motion plans for work on a Havre street.

It approved a resolution Monday requesting the distribution of the Bridge and Road Safety and Accountability Program funds for work on 13th Street West in two or three years.

“It’s not a huge project, just the length of it and the fact that we are milling it down instead of just doing an overlay over the top of it makes it a little bit more expensive,” Havre Public Works Director Dave Peterson said this morning.

He added that the project will be seven to eight blocks on 13th Street West, and some areas might need additional work if soft spots are found.

The city will also be working on the side streets that lead into 13th Street West to ensure good transitions into the street. Curbs and gutters might be replaced for a better storm drain.

Peterson said that the project is expected to cost $300,000 to $400,000 and will take two to three years to collect all funding needed for the project.

The project itself will most likely take approximately 45 days. The funds can only be used for surface construction and cannot be used for infrastructure. Peterson added that one of the reasons the city has selected the section on 13th Street West is because it has solid infrastructure underneath the road and has a high possibility for remaining in good condition after the construction is complete.

Mayor Tim Solomon said during the council meeting that the resolution had to pass through the council because of a regulation enacted in the last legislative session.

The regulation requires the Montana Department of Transportation to allocate accrued funds to cities, towns, counties and consolidated city-county governments. The funds allocated by MDT are used for construction, reconstruction, maintenance and repair of rural roads, city or town streets, alleys and bridges which the governing entities are responsible to maintain.

The resolution says that the governing entities which request funds under the Bridge and Road Safety and Accountability Account must match each $20 requested with $1 of matching funds. It added that the matching funds have been budgeted from local option tax funds.

Peterson said that the last legislative session provided funds, which have to be designated for a specific project, rather than gas tax funds, which cities and counties have previously received.

“It’s the same purpose but just a different way to go about it,” he said this morning.