JOPLIN, Mo. —
Joplin is replacing its fire engines that were destroyed by the May 22 tornado.
The City Council has authorized the purchase of two engines at a cost of $982,882. The cost will be paid with reimbursements from the city’s insurance and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Replacements have been ordered for 1996 and 2004 model fire engines that were ruined in Station No. 2, 2216 S. Maiden Lane, and Station No. 4, 2010 E. 15th St., when they were hit by the tornado.
The new engines will be like one recently received for a new fire station, No. 6, at 5302 W. 32nd St.
The Fire Department has purchased two replacement brush trucks as well. They are expected to arrive soon. Those were purchased for $32,376 each from Carthage Ford.
The new engines are to be custom-built and will be triple-combination pumpers that conform to all National Fire Protection Association standards, according to fire Chief Mitch Randles. They are expected to have a service life of 20 to 25 years, he said.
The city received four bids ranging from $462,656 to $541,879 for each engine, but the lowest bid was discarded because it did not meet all the specifications cited by the city for design and safety, Randles told the council. That left the bid of KME Fire Apparatus of Nesquehoningstet, Pa., as the lowest acceptable bid. Each truck will cost $491,441.
It will take about 10 months for the engines to be built. The city has leased fire engines to use in the interim.
The Fire Department last week received a donation of $19,000 worth of rescue jacks and extrication tools from a national sandwich chain, Firehouse Subs.
Randles said the need to have that type of rescue equipment on hand became apparent during the department’s efforts to rescue those trapped in tornado debris. The equipment is designed for stabilizing overturned vehicles, lifting slabs of rubble, and reaching people who are covered in trench collapses and trapped in confined spaces such as wells.
The council on Monday also authorized the acceptance of a grant of $18,000 from the Department of Homeland Security to train firefighters more thoroughly in technical building collapse rescue. The training will take place at the University of Missouri. The grant covers training for up to 25 firefighters.
Randles said the Joplin equipment and training are part of an effort to place specialized rescue teams across the state so they do not have to travel far to answer a call for assistance. In this area, teams are stationed in Springfield, Branson and Joplin.
New stations
JOPLIN’S FIRE CHIEF is studying whether the sites of the two fire stations destroyed by the tornado should be moved to new locations to even out the city’s coverage.
May 2011 Joplin tornado
Joplin’s fire service on the mend
- May 2011 Joplin tornado
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Illinois youth group arrives in Joplin to assemble house
Break time was approaching, but Keith Duncan wanted to make one last concentrated push in order to get the large Penske truck unloaded. “Two minutes, people! Two minutes!” he yelled as the students and adults hauling large wooden sections out of the truck began picking up the pace.
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SLIDESHOW: One year later, One day of unity, updated
Photos from a day of events commemorating the May 22, 2011 tornado anniversary
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Last of 586 FEMA trailers in Joplin to be prepared for move
For 19 months, rows of nearly 600 units spread out among community and commercial sites were a visual reminder of the homes lost in Joplin on May 22, 2011. One by one, contractors began disassembling and moving the trailers, a testament to their occupants having found places to live.
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Civil engineers release study of Joplin tornado damage
It did not take much wind to flatten houses in the Joplin tornado zone because so many were poorly constructed to withstand wind, according to a study released recently by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Rescuers, tornado victims reunite at Quapaw station
There were lots of hugs exchanged, pictures taken and memories summoned when fire crews on Friday met the two youngsters they pulled, critically injured, from the wreckage of Joplin’s 2011 tornado.
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Quapaw tribe’s firefighters, EMS personnel meet with children rescued at Home Depot in 2011
There were hugs, stories and the occasional tear this morning when two children who were trapped and seriously injured after the 2011 Joplin tornado met for the first time the Quapaw Tribe firefighters and emergency medical workers who pulled them from the wreckage and saved their lives that night.
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New members take seats on redevelopment board
Three new members took their places on the board of the Joplin Redevelopment Corp. in a meeting Thursday. The panel welcomed as new members Laurie Delano, vice president of finance for Empire District Electric Co.; Gary Duncan, retired president and chief executive of Freeman Health System; and Phil Stinnett, a former Joplin council member and mayor.
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Tornado grant trustees look to shelter placement
Trustees overseeing a Joplin tornado fund hope to use some of their remaining money to move FEMA-financed tornado shelters to areas where they are needed.
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Documentary about Joplin Globe coverage of tornado wins 2013 Mirror Award
The documentary “Deadline in Disaster” has won a 2013 Mirror Award in the “Best Single Story” category.
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Oklahoma photo collection to begin with ‘Picture Patrol’
A new national photo rescue operation based in Carthage that formed to help salvage and return to owners what was lost in the Joplin tornado has reached out to Moore, Okla., and next week will help storm victims there get down to business.
- More May 2011 Joplin tornado Headlines
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