Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

New fire truck pumper arrives from Amorel

Whelen Springs will be more prepared to fight fires after receiving a 700-gallon pumper tank fire truck on Monday, Feb. 21.

Whelen Springs Fire Chief Sam LeMay said the 1969 Ford 1000 pumper is in good working order and was donated to the city by Amorel-Huffman, a small community by the Mississippi River near Blytheville.

Terry LeMay, mayor of Whelen Springs, said that community wanted to give the truck to someone who could use it and the advertisement was noticed on the internet.

"We were looking for another truck, and they had just gained two new ones," he said. "This older Ford was given to us free and clear. It makes our fourth firefighting vehicle. We would like to thank the Forestry Commission for bringing it to us by 18-wheeler at no charge."

Fire Chief LeMay said the 1969 Ford 1000 is currently parked by Whelen City Hall, as the fire station nearby will need an add-on to house it.

"It is too big for our current building. This new truck is 30 feet long and has an extension ladder of 35 feet," the chief said. "We plan to put an extension on the building for the new truck."

The other three trucks in the Whelen Springs fire-fighting fleet include a 1988 Chevrolet brush truck, a 1970 International 500-gallon pumper and an old fire gear hauling truck. The 1988 and the 1970 are owned by the Forestry Commission, while the old equipment truck is owned by the city.

Sam LeMay has been fire chief of the Whelen Springs Volunteer Fire Department since 1978.

"We have several lady volunteers in the daytime," LeMay said. "We have 12 volunteers, four of which are women."

Chief LeMay said the last fire in Whelen Springs was at the home of Dwight Malcom, one of the volunteers, in October. It was a total loss.

"We were able to keep it from spreading," LeMay said.

The chief said the current volunteers are: Leann and Wesley Sparks, Brandon and Becky Malcom, Tracy Sparks, Debbie LeMay, Paul Turner, Chris Malcom, Dwight Malcom, Robbie and Nancy Fuller and Jeff Gibson.

"We respond here and give assistance as needed to Beirne and Kansas Road, plus we will go to Gurdon if they ask us," Chief LeMay said.

He said the last new piece of equipment was the Forestry Commission's International pumper, which has been available for Whelen Springs to use since October.

Mayor LeMay said the Forestry Commission gets old Army vehicles and does a no-cost lease to the fire department. He said there is another old International, without a bed on it, that the department will get rid of now that the 1969 Ford 1000 has arrived.

"We are proud to get this latest pumper," the chief said.