Randall OKs equipment for new fire department grass rig

The chassis for the new Randall Fire Department grass rig.

The Randall Town Board approved the purchase of equipment to finish off a vehicle that will serve as the Randall Fire Department’s new grass rig.

The board approved a proposal from Jefferson Fire& Safety of Middleton for $14,191 for a skid unit. The unit, which will be fit inside the back of a pick-up truck, will include a pump, a 250 gallon water tank and hose.

The town is paying for the skid unit; fire department members already paid for the truck, a 2016 Ford 350, Chief Matt Gronke said. The truck cost $25,000.

The new rig should be ready for use by mid March after the skid unit is installed, decals applied and other equipment like a radio put in as well, Gronke said.

The new equipment will replace a 1985 truck the department now uses for fighting fires in hard to reach spots, such as grass or field fires. Though the town has not formally decided what to do with the old grass rig. Gronke said he has already received inquires from people interested in buying it.

The department’s 1985 grass rig will be replaced when the new one is ready for use.