COLUMBUS JUNCTION, Iowa — The welcome mat is out at the Columbus Benefited Fire District  for the 30-member department’s newest addition: a new fire truck.

Fire chief Lynn Mincer said the 1,000-gallon pumper, a 2008 Spartan Metro Star MFD with a Toyne body, was delivered April 20 and will be a major improvement over the 22-year-old Ford it replaced.

According to Mincer, the UL listing for the Ford had expired and a department the size of his could no longer use it.

“It wasn’t legal anymore, so we sold it to a small department near Omaha,” Mincer said.

Although the old truck had performed well for the district, Mincer said the many modern features of the new pumper would quickly remove any nostalgic feelings for the old veteran. The 400-hp Cummins engine and 3,000 EVS automatic transmission should not have any problem getting to fires throughout the far-flung district, which stretches nearly to Riverside.

According to the Web site for Toyne Manufacturing in Breda, Iowa, where the pumper was built, equipment on the unit includes a 1,500 gallon-per-minute pump, a generator, telescoping lights, a Hi Riser monitor and a foam system.

Mincer said the foam equipment would be a big asset, since foam would be immediately available instead of having to be loaded with buckets by firefighters. He also said miscellaneous equipment was salvaged from the old Ford that was sold, but the department did purchase new hose for the unit.

Mincer also pointed out the pumper could seat six regularly suited firefighters or five suited with self-contained breathing apparatus in the enclosed cab, which was equipped with both heat and air conditioning.

The unit cost $340,000, which Mincer said was more than the department

 had spent in 2002 when it built a new fire station. However, the addition of the new pumper, combined with the department’s other equipment, should ensure protection to local residents for several years.

Mincer said the department is planning to hold an open house in May or June and the public would be invited to get a better look at the new unit. He said the open house would also provide an opportunity for local residents to visit the fire station, which was inundated by floodwaters from the Iowa River last summer.

“We had over 50 inches of water in here, but we’re (recovering),” Mincer said.

The shiny new fire engine inside the building is proof of that.