The Livingston Fire Department received their Christmas gift early this year–not from the North Pole, but from Farmington, Delaware. The LFD received a 30-year-old Ward-LaFrance model 1000-gallon pumper truck valued at more than $20,000 for mere peanuts from the Farmington Fire Department.

The Chief of the Livingston Fire Department Terry Peeler said he wished he could have had this truck sooner because it sure would have come in handy during the huge warehouse fire a couple of weeks ago. Peeler also said his friend Steve Austin who serves on the FEMA grant panel for the United States Fire Administration with Peeler was one of the main people responsible for helping the City of Livingston acquire this vehicle.

“Steve Austin is one of my closest friends, almost like a mentor to me,” Peeler said.

He said the Farmington Fire Department recently bought a new pumper truck and they didn’t have anywhere for the older truck, so they wanted to donate it to another department that needed one. He also said the LFD placed a request to this panel after the warehouse fire looking for another pumper truck and then this one became available.

“This is truly a blessing for the City of Livingston because we’ve always done things for other cities and it’s about time we receive something back,” Peeler said.

He said the Chief of the Farmington Fire Department Mark Langford called and said, “We could have someone go up and drive it back or either have it shipped down for about $2,200.” During the Monday Livingston City Council meeting Mayor Tom Tartt said once the truck arrived in Livingston, they noticed it had about $2,000 worth of new tires on it.

“This is a great investment in the future of the Livingston Fire Department,” Tartt said.

Peeler said there was also some equipment in the truck.

“With this new truck we can continue to support the citizens of Livingston and offer support to the surrounding areas,” Peeler said.