On Wednesday, August 24, the councils of Kneehill County and Three Hills gathered with members of the Three Hills Fire Department to celebrate the delivery of a new Fire Tender to serve the residents of both Town and County.
Reeve Jerry Wittstock opened the event with a welcome message, including highlighting the collaboration between the municipalities. “As a collective team, we continue to build fire services within our community of Kneehill area for the safety of our residents in both the Town and County,” said Reeve Wittstock.
Mayor Ray Wildeman echoed the sentiment, “the collaboration between all here is appreciated and what makes this project, and evening, a success.”
Members of the Three Hills Fire Department were also thanked for their dedication as volunteers helping our communities in times of need. They also served up hamburgers and hotdogs for a crowd of approximately 120 residents during the two-hour event.
The new Tender has a high/low pressure pump and holds 13,600 litres of water. It is replacing the 2001 Tender that only held 4,000 litres. The new truck is a Tender/Engine combination unit with a fire pump that can provide 5,000 litres per minute of water to the fire, increasing the level of service to our communities.
Kneehill County Council has made apparatus replacements a priority in recent years with the purchase of 4 engines in 2020 to serve our area, a 2018 brush truck for Torrington, and this year, two Tenders have been purchased (Torrington and Three Hills). This Tender, ordered in 2021, came in at $590,000. With the increasing costs of apparatus, Kneehill County has been able to dedicate funds through good financial planning processes, implementing annual contributions to help prepare for these purchases.
Kneehill County and the Town of Three Hills have a collaborative agreement on fire services in the area, and continue to work together to provide an efficient and effective service.
Should anyone in the community be interested in volunteering for the fire department, please contact the Town of Three Hills or Kneehill County respective Community Services departments for more information.
