A federal grant is paying most of the cost of a new fire truck for Kewanee.

But don’t look for the new truck at a fire anytime soon; Fire Chief Stephen Welgat says it could take 18 months or longer before the truck is delivered to Kewanee.

At Monday’s meeting, the City Council approved the purchase of the truck using a $672,785 grant the city has received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), along with $33,639 in city funds.

In a report to the council, Welgat wrote that the city has received a FEMA grant in each of the past three years. He wrote that “more documentation and paperwork” will be required to receive the grant money.

The chief’s report said Kewanee “has an aging fleet of fire engines. Other than our lead engine, Engine 1, we do not have a fire engine under 24 years old.”

While the department goes to great lengths to maintain the older engines, “even our fleet maintenance can’t help a 30-year-old engine,” Welgat wrote.

The high cost of fire engines makes it very difficult for cities like Kewanee to budget for a new one, Welgat wrote.

He also wrote that the cost of fire engines has been accelerating. He got an estimate of $642,204 from a fire engine manufacturer last September but “4 months later that estimate had increased to approximately $715,000.” And he estimated that by the time a new engine is delivered, the cost could be as high as $775,000.

That would mean that the city would have to chip in $100,000 for the new truck. The lead time for a new engine, Welgat wrote, is 18 months or more, which would give the council time to accumulate the funds in the city budget to pay the city’s share.

In other fire department developments, the council approved the purchase of new battery-powered extrication equipment for $29,639 from Sandry Fire Supply.

Welgat told the council that the equipment uses batteries that can be purchased in Kewanee.

He said the equipment the department now uses to free accident victims from wrecked vehicles is over 30 years old.

While the city has three main extrication tools, only one can be used at a time. With the new system, “multiple tools can be used at the same time by multiple firefighters,” Welgat wrote in a report to the council.

“I hope the citizens of Kewanee will rest a little easier knowing (the new equipment) is available,” Mayor Gary Moore said.

The council also approved the purchase of a new 2023 Ford Escape for $33,173 for the police department’s detective division from Gustafson Ford.

The new Escape will replace a 2008 Chevrolet Impala.