A new water tanker, now in service at the Altona/Rhineland Fire Department, is better equipping firefighters to do their job.

According to Fire Chief, Greg Zimmerman, the Municipality of Rhineland makes up about 95 percent of the department's response area and said the updated tanker will play a crucial role in battling fires in rural settings.

"This water truck comes with us on any call that is outside the town of Altona because there are no hydrants or very few water sources. The truck comes with us and is our water source," he explained.

The 4,200-gallon tanker replaced an older model that could only hold 2,500 gallons and Zimmerman said the modern truck will create efficiencies on-scene and free up manpower.

"It has a dump-valve in the back that is larger. It's also on a swivel which allows us to dump the water on either side or directly behind the truck," he explained. "It's (also) set up to actually pump water off the truck."

The new truck also carries a portable, folding tank that only takes seconds to set up compared to the old tank.

Because the truck is essentially used exclusively in rural areas, the recent purchase was funded entirely by the Municipality of Rhineland.

Reeve Don Wiebe said the updated unit will help increase the service level of the fire department and serves as an added resource to other departments in the municipality such as Plum Coulee and Gretna.

"We now have a much more comprehensive service and we have a source of water at the fires that we've never had before," he added.

Zimmerman thanks council for supporting the fire department in this way. He also thanks volunteer firefighter Russ Toews for the extensive work he did in searching for and procuring the truck and getting it ready for service. "I don't know how many hours he's put in, but it's hundreds."