It has been a long time since Buckner purchased the village's first fire truck.
Fire Chief Chuck Bedar said it was an emotional experience for the firefighters when the green 1975 Ford model left the station for the final time.
"We sold that truck along with a 1968 Mack model to outfit a new department in Ringgold, Ga.," Bedar said. "We made a couple of bucks and they were tickled to death to get them.
"They are starting from scratch and have nothing. The Ringgold fire chief, Richard Yates, and two of his firefighters came to pick up the trucks, but it was rather sad to see them go. We had the 1975 model refurbished in 1990."
In their place now sit twin 1995 Pierce Saber trucks.
"We got an incredible deal on the twin trucks from northern Illinois," Bedar said. "One has a 1,500 gallon per minute pump and the other has a 1,000 gallon per minute pump. They are absolutely nice. One has a six-man enclosure so firefighters don't have to sit in the weather when responding to a fire.
"We also obtained a 1990 FMC model from Woodstock. We are sitting in pretty good shape with the three new trucks. This also means lower fire insurance rates for the residents of Buckner."
