Wilson Twp. Fire Dept. Urges Voters To Approve Millage

Fire officials in Wilson Township are urging voters to approve a millage this election day, which they say will greatly improve their department.

The proposed five-year millage, will help the department purchase a new fire truck to upgrade their aging fleet. The current engine used in Wilson township is 22 years old, and according to the department, has been costing them a lot of money in maintenance and repairs over the past few years. The ambulance they currently have is also very old and unreliable.

With the funding from the proposed millage, the department plans to purchase a smaller fire truck and ambulance combination vehicle. Called a mini–pumper, the vehicle has its own water tank but is small enough and durable enough to get through dirt roads and hard to reach homes.

“It’s a quick response vehicle, we could get down the narrow roads, and carry all the medical equipment that we need on that vehicle as well, less manpower, more water, more capability, because it also has a phone distribution system on it, so it allows a firefighter essentially a one man set up. You pull up and they can start pumping, and putting water on from the outside by themselves until other firefighters arrive,” says Wilson Township Assistant Fire Chief Matthew Germain.

Germain added that if approved, Wilson Township residents would not notice any difference on their tax rolls, as the county hospital millage will be dropped off the rolls at the end of the year, and this fire department millage would essentially take it’s place.