Liberty Twp. to replace fire truck totaled in I-75 crash with semi truck

Sep. 24--Liberty Twp. trustees have approved a $1.9 million purchase of two new fire trucks, including one to replace a ladder truck that was totaled after a crash on Interstate 75 this summer.

The crash occurred in the early morning hours of July 9, after a drowsy truck driver slammed into the ladder truck following another semi crash. A firefighter was in the driver's side of the truck helping with traffic detail after a crash shut down I-75.

The new ladder truck cost is $1.3 million, but insurance is picking up a big piece of the cost, so the township cost is $50,096.

Township Board President Steve Schramm said the truck was budgeted in 2018 but Fire Chief Ethan Klussman decided the township could get a couple more years out of it.

"That's the truck that got plowed into on the highway so what we were able to do is get insurance to pick up 95 percent of the cost," Schramm said. "So that's going to end up being another great plus to our budget, because a $1.3 million expense we were going to incur in three years is now like a $50,000 expense."

The township also just learned a $1.3 million federal SAFER grant is coming, so the department will be able to add nine new full-time firefighter/EMT positions.

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