QUINCY — A new rescue rig went into service at Grant County Fire District 3 on July 10. Chief David Durfee said it replaces a rescue truck that was reaching the end of its service life.  

“It’s a rescue truck that houses all of our extrication tools for motor vehicle accidents, our specialty tech equipment and our rescue equipment. There are some added storage compartments and added lights,” he said.   

The truck cost about $301,000, Durfee said, purchased with district funds. It's a brand-new truck; typically, new trucks are built from scratch, which was the case with the new rescue rig. District commissioners awarded the contract in April 2024, he said, and GCFD 3 personnel traveled to Mississippi in mid-June to pick it up from the manufacturer.  

Deep South Fire Trucks, Seminary, Mississippi, built the truck.  

There’s a lot of farmland and sagebrush in GCFD 3, but there are also extensive areas for climbing and hiking, Interstate 90 and State Route 28, camping areas and performance venues.  

“We have motor vehicle accidents, climbing incidents, rescues off the trail system we have here, you name it,” Durfee said. “It gets used pretty often. It’s four-wheel drive, so it has capabilities that allow us to assist with rescues and other things.” 

The new truck has updated communications systems, he said, and a heavy-duty wench that will make rescues easier.  

Typically, GCFD 3 rescue rigs are yellow, but the new truck is fire-engine red. Durfee said that was a choice that reflects GCFD 3’s goal to work together and with its contracted partners. The district provides fire services to the city of Quincy, a relationship that stretches back more than 50 years, Durfee said. 

“The reason for switching to the red scheme from yellow is to be unified with all our apparatus,” Durfee said. “Currently, we have (different colors), so the commissioners made the decision to stay unified with one color.” 

Fire District 3 received a grant that will pay for a new water tender, which is a tanker used to fill trucks on fire scenes that don’t have water nearby. District personnel will be going back to Deep South Fire Trucks to pick it up later this week, Durfee said.