Public safety referendum aims to purchase new vehicle to replace worn out rescue truck

The current Crawford County rescue truck is a repurposed 1980's Coca-Cola truck.

The spring.

We are just two weeks away from election day in the united states.

Voters in one "local" county will have a safety decision to make.

News 10 bureau chief gary brian explains the referendum in crawford county, illinois.

Gar} "as folks here in crawford county head to the polls, one of the things they'll be voting on is a referendum.

That referendum is to help the emergency management agency purchase a rescue vehicle."

When heading out to an emergency...first responders make sure to take a number of life saving tools with them.

That could be anything from the jaws of life, for vehicle rescues... to fire houses.

But for the crawford county rescue squad...taking out their aging rescue truck requires a little bit more.

"we carry transmission fluid and brake fluid just to make sure we get there and get back home in it."

Rescue personnel use a retrofitted coca-cola truck built in the 1980's to carry essential gear to emergencies.

Whether it's a grain bin rescue or a hazmat accident...this truck is on the call.

But it dosen't get there very fast.

"at this point it dosen't even go fast enough to break the speed limit to even get to an emergency situation.

So it's basically time for it to be replaced."

The aging truck loses fluids just sitting in the garage.

A flash light is set up on the dash so the driver can see gauges at night.

"we are pretty much financed on our own.

About everything you see, other then just a little bit of equipment we have got through donations."

The crawford county emergency management is not affiliated with a fire department.

This makes for a small budget.

The bond measure would cost the average tax payer roughly 12 dollars a year.

Once the new vehicle is paid for...the bond goes away.

"we need something that can get to the scene.

Something smaller, offroad, so that they can get the equipment personel to the victim that could be a quarter to a half mile off the road."

Gar} "if the referendum pass it'll take roughly about a year for the vehicle to be built and put into service.

In crawford county, gary brian news 10."

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