An old pumper fire Truck that once served this community has been retired and will be put to good use at a Davenport training    facility.

Muscatine Fire Chief Steve Dalbey handed over the keys to the yellow 1974 Ford water hauler in late November to Steve Wearth, Eastern Iowa Community College District fire science coordinator.

The Eastern Iowa Community College District includes Clinton, Scott and Muscatine community colleges.

The Department donated the truck after receiving a federal grant to buy a new fire engine that will be put into service on Jan 1, 2008. The old fire Truck has a standard transmission, carries 350 gallons of water and was dubbed as the “beast” by Muscatine firefighters. The new engine carries 750 gallons of water and 30 gallons of foam.

“Having a pumper in-house allows the training center the capability to pump water without relying on fire departments to tie up their pumpers when training at the site,” Wearth said. The truck will be used at the Midwest Center for Rescue and Safety Training, formerly Wacky Waters Adventure Park near Davenport, just off Interstate 80.

The facility was first used as a training center last summer and is expected to become a full-fledged training facility for career and volunteer fire departments and those who undergo training through the college district.

Wearth said the structures such as the water slide tower and the wave pool provide ideal training grounds for water rescues and rope rescue training and   rappelling.

The pumper plays a vital role, he added, because to meet National Fire Protection Association standards, there must be two sources of water capacity on the grounds. With this pumper on the grounds fulltime, only one other pumper from an outside agency will be tied up when controlled burns  take place.