Wheatfield
Volunteer fire department frustrated in quest to fund new tanker
Lack of communication. Raging allegations. Public safety concerns. And a “death trap” firetruck, nearly 40 years old, in need of replacement.
This rising inferno of circumstances engulfs the Wheatfield Volunteer Fire Department, which contracts fire coverage for the town of Wheatfield, Wheatfield Township, Walker Township and Kankakee Township, comprising nearly one-fourth of Jasper County.
The gist of the issue is that the fire department needs to purchase a new pumper/tanker truck, necessary for providing water to fight rural fires where hydrants are not available. The department’s current tanker is a 1981 Peterbilt that’s been labeled a “death trap” by mechanics.
“We desperately need this truck because it brings 3,000 gallons of water to fires,” said David Myers, president of the Wheatfield Volunteer Fire Department.
The department recently purchased a 2019 Freightliner 3,000-gallon tanker but it won’t be ready for use until August. WVFD’s fleet consists of trucks that have been purchased by the townships it serves, in addition to the town of Wheatfield. Fire departments from San Pierre, Hebron, DeMotte and Kouts also use the 1981 tanker for backup water when needed.
“The problem is the truck is on its last legs and needs to be replaced,” Myers said. “As president of the department, I take a great deal of personal responsibility to see that our firefighters, comprised of dads, brothers, uncles and grandfathers, have the best that firefighting offers in technology to help keep them safe on the dangerous job we do.”
Here’s the problem: Neither the town of Wheatfield, nor its township or Walker Township, have funds to replace the 1981 tanker, forcing the only option of taking out another loan to purchase it.
“Kankakee Township has over a million dollars in its Fire Accumulative Fund and its advisory board will not give a penny to help purchase the new tanker,” Myers said.
According to Kankakee Township’s annual financial report, a public record, its Fire Accumulative Fund had $1.6 million in it at the end of 2018. So the money is there, but not the formal approval to use it for WVFD’s new tanker.
Kankakee Township Trustee Randy Allen oversees the fund along with advisory board members Dave Hohner, David Whitaker and Louis Ketchum. I contacted each of them for a response to Myer’s concerns. A few days later, I received an email from Ketchum, speaking on behalf of Allen and the advisory board.
“As to your inquiry… the funds have been allocated for some time for the building of a fire station and the purchase of a New Pumper Tanker to be housed in the new fire station,” the email stated. “The Wheatfield Volunteer Fire Dept. Inc will have access to this station and equipment anytime for their use.”
“This is being done this year,” the email continued. “This has been the plan and goal of the Township Trustee and Township Board for quite some time to enhance the safety of Kankakee Township and has never been a secret to anyone including the Wheatfield Volunteer Fire Department.”
In other words, Kankakee Township is using its funds to build its own fire station, and its officials do not want to buy a new tanker for WVFD. Period.
“That’s all well and good but there is a public safety issue here now,” Myers said. “We have 14 trucks in our fleet, and nine of them are 20-plus years old. Three of them belong to Kankakee Township. Shouldn’t that be a higher priority than building a station?”
Myers claims “If you build it, they will come” is a popular play on words, but it’s not applicable to the recruitment of firefighters, a tough task for any community.
“Their township has a population of just over 900 people. The same amount of people who live in the town of Wheatfield,” he said. “Needless to say, not a big pool of people to energize and recruit to be firefighters. It’s not fair for any of our fire personnel to bypass any current station to drive to this newly created station.”
This disagreement began last summer when Myers began searching for a way to fund the purchase of the new tanker. He did his due diligence by looking for a sponsor, NIPSCO, which asked him to find other sponsors.
“So, I did,” Myers said. “I wrote the grant to the Jasper-Newton Foundation. It was reviewed and heavily supported from the foundation’s grant committee. However, they had concerns.”
Wheatfield resident John Tillema, the committee’s chairman, was sent to investigate the need and to ask more questions. The grant was then approved for a request of 10% of the asking price of a 3,000 gallon pumper-tanker.
“At that time, I was hoping that we could purchase a pumper-tanker for $300,000,” Myers said. “This grant would be our down payment and we would seek other options for financing the remaining balance of the truck.”
Myers, however, was irked that he had to scramble for funds when Kankakee Township was sitting on $1.6 million.
“I have no business buying a tractor for a farmer, just as a township trustee and advisory board members should not be purchasing fire equipment without consulting the fire department. This is a problem.”
In December, a meeting was held with the fire and township officials to address the issue. It didn’t help. In March, WVFD hosted an “information night” for officials, complete with an impressive Power Point presentation given by Myers. He called it “20/20 in 2020” to pinpoint a strategic plan for the future. It didn’t help.
He contacted the Indiana State Board of Accounts, which directed him to state representatives who didn’t help, he said. There also is a longtime grudge between fire department officials and Kankakee Township officials, I’m told by several residents.
“This issue is a big topic among firemen,” one WVFD firefighter’s wife told me. “The lack of knowledge about the situation from citizens shows the lack of involvement from the community. They only get involved when their family is in an accident or their house catches fire.”
“My husband has a full-time job and he makes himself available regardless of day, time or situation. He has left us on holidays, had no sleep, and went to calls while sick. I don’t think it’s too much to ask that he is in safe, dependable equipment.”
I don’t think it’s too much to ask for residents there to get more involved.
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