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New Tanker/Pumper Update - 02/24/2008
We have received word from E-One that our new 2500 gallon tanker/pumper will be ready for delivery on March 11, 2008. Representatives from our department and Sunbelt Fire Apparatus will travel to Ocala, FL shortly after March 11th to inspect and approve the final product. This apparatus will be a first-out attack truck, and will have many features such as on-board foam, electric drop tank rack, Typhoon custom cab and custom chassis, headset intercom system for the truck cab and pump panel, and many more features. We are very excited about this new truck, as it will add a new dimension of flexibility to our response to many different types of incidents. We will display the new truck at our March 2008 Elberta German Sausage Festival, as the Festival provides us the needed funds to make purchases such as this. To see picture of the new truck in its final stages of production, click here.
New Tanker/Pumper - 05/16/2007
We are currently working out specifications for a new 2500 gallon tanker/pumper unit mounted on a custom chassis, much like the unit displayed here.
Due to the rapid growth and development projected in the Elberta area, this unit is being speced with provisions that would enable it to easily support an aerial platform truck with water. We feel that an aerial apparatus
will be needed in the next 3-5 years, however we are only planning on purchasing this 2500 gallon tanker/pumper for the time being. We hope to have drawings and actual specifications of this unit up on our site
soon, so please check back later.
Hurricane Season - 06/19/2006
As we all know, the 2006 Hurricane Season started June 1st, and we have already had a tropical system in the Gulf of Mexico. We strongly urge everyone to start preparations for the next storm that might threaten
our area by stocking up on supplies now. Many people wait until the last minute to buy supplies. By then, many stores are already out of many necessities. To help with preparation, we have created a Hurricane Info
section to our site. This section will provide vital information on what you need to do to prepare for tropical systems, and what we do during these times.
New Burn Ban - 05/01/2006
Today ADEM (Alabama Department of Environmental Management) issued an open burning ban for all of Baldwin County. This ban will be in effect thru October. The common misconception about most burn bans is
that they are issued due to dry weather. Dry weather bans are usually issued by the Alabama Forestry Commission. The reason ADEM usually issues a burn ban every summer is due to high levels of ground-level ozone
gases caused by excessive burning. These gases are very harmful to the Earth's atmosphere. We ask that you please comply with the current burn ban. Any burns that are found are considered illegal and will be
extinguished.
Spring 2006 German Sausage Festival - 03/31/2006
Our Spring 06 Elberta German Sausage Festival was a complete success. All booth spaces were sold by the Monday before the fest, and on the day of the fest, we sold all 7,200 pounds of sausage by about 3PM.
The weather was great, and so was the crowd. We estimate the crowd was 30,000+ for this festival. The festival operated without any major incident. We responded to 1 motor vehicle accident with injuries, 1 person
with shortness of breath, and 1 person suffering from dehydration. Each festival we have a "jump team" for MVA, Fire, and Medical incidents in case we are called upon. These teams leave the festival and respond
to whatever call we may receive. Each festival seems to get better and better. We posted record figures for this past festival. We have received some complaints regarding running out of sausage "early". We have
increased our order by 200 pounds. The problem with ordering alot more, is that if we do not sell out, we will be hung with ALOT of sausage. Figure there are about 3 sausage dogs to a pound, times 500 pounds,
times $3.50 for each sandwich...so, if we were to order 500 more pounds (a total of 7,700 pounds), if we did not sell the extra 500 pounds, that would be $5,250 worth of lost revenue. If we do see a continuing trend
we may consider ordering more sausage. As of now, it stays at 7,200 pounds. All we can suggest is that you get there early! Usually by 10:30 AM, there are already very long lines! We would like to thank our radio
media sponsor Cat Country 98.7 FM for providing radio advertising. These folks have been great to us, and they come out and do live remotes! If your company is interested in a corporate sponsorship, please send
an e-mail to seth@elbertafire.com
New Brush 3191 now in service - 12/09/2005
The new Brush 3191 has been outfitted and is now in service. Our new unit is a 2006 Ford F-450 with a flatbed on the back. We have removed the skid unit from the old Brush 3191 and have mounted it on the
flatbed of the new truck. We have not increased water capacity, but we feel that the F-450 is a more heavy duty truck and will handle the weight of the skid better than the 2001 Chevy 2500HD trucks we are currently
using. We hope to upgrade the remaining 2 Chevy units over the next year or so to eventually go completely to the F-450 platform.
New MSA SCBA Units in service - 11/21/2005
Our new MSA SCBA units that were purchased with the AFG FY 2005 Grant Funds have been put into service. These new MSA units are state of the art and replace our old Interspiro packs. The new packs include
the ClearCommand Intercom System, NightFighter Heads-Up Display, integrated digital PASS device, carbon fiber air cylinders, and RIT connections. For more information, visit MSA's website at
http://www.msanet.com.
Kubota RTVs in service - 11/07/2005
In the Summer we had purchased two Kubota RTV units. These units are now in service. We have attached a 50 gallon water tank to the bed of each RTV
for fighting large field fires, or hard to reach woods fires. These vehicles can also be easily used in Search & Rescue situations, as the tank detaches in seconds. These units will be hauled on their own 12 ft trailers.
AFG FY 2005 Grant Approved - 10/07/2005
We have received notification that our Assistant to Firefighters Grant for FY2005 has been approved by the Department of Homeland Security! We have been awarded $85,731. To read our press release,
click here. To view a complete list of all departments that have been awarded so far, check out http://www.firegrantsupport.com/afg/awards/05/.
New Brush Truck Approved! - 04/19/2005
The purchase of our new brush truck has been approved! At our Business Meeting last night, the majority of membership approved a motion to purchase a new 2006 Ford F-350 4x4. We will pull the skid unit
off of Brush 3191 and make the new Ford the new Brush 3191. The old brush truck will be made into a squad/runabout vehicle. In the future we will look to possibly upgrade the rest of our brush fleet to the
Ford F-350 platform. We are also looking into the feasibility of purchasing two 4-wheeler ATVs for wildland firefighting. We are looking to attach maybe a 30 gallon sprayer tank to the back or front. Any fire
departments that use such a setup, please E-Mail us about your setup so maybe we can learn from you.
AFG FY 2005 Grant Submitted - 04/07/2005
We have submitted a grant application to the Assistance to Firefighters Grant for Fiscal Year 2005. This grant program is funded by the United States Fire Administration, which is now a part of the Department
of Homeland Security. We have requested funds in the amount of $90,643. Of that, our liability to pay is 5%, which amounts to $4,532. If our application is approved, we will be purchasing brand new MSA SCBA
packs, and a new Bullard T3MAX Thermal Imaging Camera.
New Brush Truck - 02/21/2005
We are currently in the process of purchasing a new brush truck. We currently have 3 2001 Chevrolet 2500HD 4x4 trucks as brush trucks. While these trucks have served us very well, we are looking to upgrade
to a more heavy duty platform. We have sent out a bid for a 2006 Ford F-350 4x4 w/Diesel engine, and a flat bed to mount our skid units to. We are only seeking one for the time being. If the new truck works
out well, we will look at possibly upgrading the remaining 2 brush trucks to the Ford F-350 platform. We will use the old brush trucks as personnel transport for things such as mutual aid where manpower only is requested,
a first response vehicle, and general runabout. We will post updates on this when available.
New Features - 06/21/2004
We are currently in the process of switching to a new web hosting provider. Making this switch will allow us to add many features to this site for fire department members, and
visitors to our website. There will be a Members Only section of the site where members of the department are able to create and post and update their own profile on our Personnel page.
The Members section will also have a message board, email lists, and FREE personal E-Mail accounts on the @elbertafiredepartment.com domain! Any members with questions or who would
like access, please contact 3103.
Service 3195 - 03/10/2004
On March 16th, 3101, 3103, and 3108 will be heading to Ocala, FL to E-One's plant to inspect the new Service 3195. We will be inspecting it for completion on March
16 and March 17, and hope to bring it back to Elberta on either the 17th or early morning 18th. Any local departments wishing to come by the station and check out
the truck, or would like to schedule a mutual aid training meeting, please call us at 986-5805.
New Look - 02/22/2004
Welcome to the new Elberta Fire Department Online! The site has been redesigned, and will soon have lots of new features. A few features being considered are:
profiles with pictures for members of the department on the Personnel page, a Members Only section of the site which will have department bulletins, archived
business meeting minutes and financial reports, alias email addresses for all members, and many other things. Check back often for more updates to the site!
Service 3195 - 02/21/2004
After many delays, the new Service 3195 has a set delivery date of March 21, 2004. Our new truck is on a 2004 Freightliner M2 Business Class chassis, and is
being manufactured by E-One. For more information on the truck, click here.
Sausage Festival - 02/21/2004
Our next Elberta German Sausage Festival will be held Saturday, March 27, 2004. The Sausage Festival is a bi-annual event that raises money for the fire department.
To download an application, visit our Sausage Festival page.
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