Luther Fire Department Loses Contest to Win New Pumper Truck

By Jon Jordan, NEWS 9

LUTHER, Oklahoma -- The Luther fire department entered a contest for a brand new pumper, but ended up coming in second place leaving the department and town operating without a critical piece of equipment.

The problem is the Luther Fire Department doesn't have a working pumper. The one they do have so old that it has forced the department to rely on neighborhood fire departments for help.

It looks like something that should be stored in a museum, but instead the pumper truck in Luther is something the fire department continues to use to fight fires.

"It doesn't run, just can't get it out to the job," Luther firefighter Steve Thomas said.

The pumper truck's power steering blew out while en route to a call forcing the department to abandon the truck in a field where it continues to sit, cob webs and all.

"Having 2,500 to 5,000 gallons of water on the scene would be a great advantage for us," said Thomas. "It's broke down and we just can't take it to the fires like we really want to."

It's why the department made dance videos in hopes of winning a contest for a new one. But despite their best effort they ended up finishing second, meaning no new pumper.

It's a concern for residents who rely on the fire department to protect them.

"We have a lot of, you know, streets they have to go up and down they are way far back," said resident Francis Tracy. "It would be a bad deal, a really bad deal."

Not finishing first means the department must find the funds to fix the pumper they have, not something that's going to be easy to do.

"Parts are hard to find, it's going to be a little expensive, but we need to get it fixed, something we'll have to bite the bullet on," Thomas said.

Just because the department finished second doesn't mean they walk away empty handed. The department still won some additional fire gear and some other important fire equipment.