O'Neill Fire Department To Take Delivery Of 75 Foot Quint

The O'Neill Volunteer Fire Department will take delivery of their replacement aerial truck within the first weeks of January. The truck, which was purchased off an online auction, is coming from Wichita, KS. The apparatus is a 2007 Sutphen SL-75 Quint fire truck owned by the Sedgwick County Fire District in Kansas. The rig has 131,000 miles on it as the apparatus was used not only for its ladder but to assist in medical calls and vehicle wrecks.

The truck has a 75 foot ladder and a 2,000 gallon per minute pump and a 400 gallons of water. The motor on the rig has been replaced and sports a Caterpillar C13 Acert motor.

Mayor Scott Menish, councilman Paul Ache as well as Aerial Capt. Ryan Kelly and City Captain Kale Burdick traveled to Wichita before the auction to inspect the truck, including using the ladder as well as the pump and driving the vehicle.

The apparatus was purchased for $29,500 which was a shrewd purchase. The O'Neill City Council had budgeted up to $250,000 for the replacement of the old aerial.

The city will retire their 50 year old aerial which was bought new in 1973 from Smeal Manufacturing in Snyder. The old aerial has few miles on it but cannot be recertified due to the extreme age and will eventually become unusable to keep within safety standards set forth by NFPA Standards.

The old truck had a 65' ladder  with no water available until attached to a water hydrant. 

A brand new aerial truck cost can run over $1,000,000.

The fire department felt the need to get a ladder truck in the early 70's due to the loss of the St. Mary's Academy in 1965 and also for the protection of the downtown structures in O'Neill.

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