Nate Heffron, city manager, city of Negaunee

NEGAUNEE — Fire services are one of the most important assets a community can have. Not only to protect human life and property, but to send a message to future homeowners and businesses about a community’s ability to provide a higher quality of life.

Our volunteer firefighters are top notch and have done a great job at maintaining and preserving our firehouse and equipment.

In fact, it may just be that Negaunee has the oldest active firehouse in the Upper Peninsula! This shows the care taken by our staff, protecting this practical and historic asset of our community.

They have also worked hard to maintain our vehicle fleet, a fleet that is older than many of the men and women that serve our station. With that said, it’s with great pleasure that I announce that the city council voted in September to approve the purchase of a new pumper truck.

The $700k+ purchase will be paid out of the city’s Equipment Millage over the next 15-years. This new vehicle will replace our current pumper that is from the 90s. Unfortunately, the pumper will not be delivered for the next 30 to 36-months.

This is due to several factors, chief among them is the fact that a truck like this is custom built to order.

With this said, the pumper we have now works and is expected to last until the new vehicle is delivered. So why replace it?

The answer to that question has to do with the age of the pumper. That factor is exacerbated by the fact that many of the parts to make repairs over the last few years have become extremely difficult to locate.

And increasing scarcity could lead to an increase in price. It was prudent to take action rather than wait for our current pumper to be out of service permanently.

Of course, this action would have not been made possible without the support of the residents of Negaunee, who overwhelmingly voted in favor of supporting the City Equipment Millage. Again, I want to thank Negaunee residents for this support.

In closing, I would ask you to join the ranks of our fire department. As you know without these volunteers, we would have to rely on others outside of Negaunee to protect the lives, homes and businesses in our city.

Fortunately, we have and have had many great individuals serve their community.

We hope that you will consider serving with the department and becoming part of a legacy of local heros!