Everly Fire & Rescue welcomes new truck

Everly's "new" fire truck is definitely an eye-catcher.

The bright yellow exterior of the 2000 Luverne Spartan stands out among traditional red fire trucks in the area. Though it might be a rather unique sight on fire calls, it's no bother to Everly firefighters – a paint job has never put out an inferno.

"We really like it so far," said Everly Fire Chief Brian Kahl. "For a small town, this is a lot of truck, but we'll put it to good use."

The local department purchased the truck from the Sheldon Fire Company, which traditionally uses yellow trucks in its fleet. The rig's price tag of $59,500 felt like stealing for Kahl.

"Everything we found was too far away, so we were happy to come across something local," he said. "They were happy it stayed local, too. It has been very well taken care of and is in great shape."

The rig will replace Everly's old equipment truck. It has experienced several mechanical problems in recent years and the fire department deemed repairs too costly.

The new truck features a 1,500-gallon pumper and a 750-gallon holding tank. In addition to fire aid, it will hold the department's extrication equipment.

The local squad has been training on the new truck, but as of last week it hadn't been used on any calls. Kahl said the decals were scheduled to be changed last week, so the department won't have to fret over anyone confusing them with Sheldon when they arrive to a fire.

The chief was pleased with the new truck and looked forward to many years of use.

"We went over to Sheldon to look it over and drive it, and I just knew this was something we couldn't pass up," he said.