Decatur Volunteer Fire Department is looking at a large expense after the computer in the pumper fire truck went out, disabling the truck’s ability to pump water.
In the Oct. 7 Board of Supervisors meeting, Decatur Fire Chief Raymond Overstreet told county supervisors firefighters discovered the issue responding to a grassfire in Conehatta.
“It will not go into pump gear,” he said.
After calling a maintenance technician, Overstreet said the problem was diagnosed as a bad computer. While it may be relatively simple to install a new computer, he said replacing the bad part was only part of the problem.
“Each truck has its own programming software for that computer,” he said. “They keep it at the manufacturer’s site for five years, then they delete it.”
“Let me guess,” Board president Charles Godwin said, “It’s over five years,”
Unfortunately, Overstreet said, the truck is well over five years old, meaning the program for Decatur Volunteer Fire Department’s pumper truck is no longer available to install on a new computer.
Overstreet said the maintenance technician can attempt to program a new computer using a trail-and-error method, but with 32 leads to program and no guide as to which leads do what, it’s a long shot. If that fails, he said the only other course of action would be to rewire the entire truck, costing about $15,000 and taking the truck out of service for at least a month.
“I guess what I’m asking, I’m asking for some financial help from the county so we can get our truck back in service,” he said.
Beat 3 Supervisor Charles Moulds said Decatur having an operational pumper truck was important for keeping the residents of Newton County safe. Should the technician fail to program the new computer, the county would do what it could to help out.
The question, Moulds said, is whether the repair would be covered under insurance.
County administrator Steve Seale said probably not.
