Anna Fire Department's new truck arrives
source="d6d684ded8c975d0d53968d15de010dc.jpg"
<p class="p1">The Anna Fire Department received an early Christmas present last week.</p><p class="p1">The department's new fire truck arrived in Anna on Tuesday night, Dec. 15.</p><p class="p1">The arrival of the long-awaited new truck was reported at a regular meeting of the Anna City Council, which was held on the evening of Dec. 15. The meeting was at Anna City Hall.</p><p class="p1">The new, state-of-the-art truck was built by Pierce Manufacturing Inc. in Appleton, Wisconsin. The truck has a 75-foot-long ladder and a 500-gallon water tank.</p><p class="p1">The City of Anna received $798,000 in grant funding from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency to help pay for the new fire truck. The grant was awarded in 2014. The city is providing matching funds to cover the remainder of the costs.</p><p class="p1">"I think it's fantastic," Anna Fire Department assistant chief Bill Jackson said. Jackson has been with the fire department for 54 years.</p><p class="p1">"It's something that the department has needed for a long time," Jackson added.</p><p class="p1">Jackson also noted that the new truck is "something the whole county can be proud of."</p><p class="p1">The various fire departments which serve Union County often work together to provide each other with mutual assistance.</p><p class="p1">Anna Fire Chief Gary Rider said that the department's personnel are scheduled to train with the new truck in January. The truck then will go into service.</p><p class="p1">The fire truck which is being replaced has been taken out of service by the fire department.</p><p class="p1">The city council agreed last week to donate the old truck to a firefighters training academy at Rend Lake College at Ina.</p><p class="p1">Donating the truck to the academy is seen as a way to allow the vehicle to be used in a way which would benefit firefighters and their training. </p><p class="p1">Anna Fire Department personnel are among those who benefit from training at the academy.</p><p class="p2"><strong> </strong></p><p class="p3"> </p>