GLEN CARBON - Glen Carbon Fire Protection District Chief Eric Wilson unveiled his bold new strategy and proposed reallocation of response vehicles at a June meeting to the Board of Trustees and has since made significant progress on that plan.

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Chief Wilson advocated adjusting the previous mix of apparatus and vehicles so that each Station is capable of responding to any situation ranging from an accident on one of the interstates or a home fire to a full-blown commercial incident. He said this is important as our responders tend to be assigned to one or the other station where their personal equipment is stored and the time of day and personnel availability will determine which station can provide the fastest response.

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The current configuration has been enhanced by the recent acquisition of another 75-foot ladder truck and an additional 105-foot ladder truck with enhanced capabilities to reach 3rd story or other difficult to access locations. This will ensure that each station can respond to any contingency with a ladder, pumper or rescue vehicle with a standardized load for more effective training.

Glen Carbon Fire Protection District Board President, Luke Harris applauded the move. He stated, “ Our new Chief Eric Wilson had a plan to purchase two used fire apparatus for better firefighting capabilities for our residents while saving our Fire District money. The original plan was to purchase a new Pumper for $700,000 (which would have given us 4 pumpers) and instead Chief Wilson’s plan redirected this money to purchase two unique used ladder trucks for less than $200,000 total for both trucks. This saved the taxpayers over $500,000 in capital costs to the district due to Chief Wilson’s experience and planning.”

The 105-foot ladder truck will put the Glen Carbon Fire Protection District in a class of its own with a capability rarely seen in this area. This longer ladder truck is needed to reach building space when other firetrucks cannot get close and essential given the rising number of residential communities in the District that have multiple story buildings. The Glen Carbon Fire Protection District will also be able to assist surrounding communities when called upon.

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