On Saturday, May 4, 2019, the Belleville Fire Department held an open house and official in-service ceremony for Squad 3. Chief Brian Hollis Sr. thanked the members of the Fire District Board, members of the municipal governments and all the members of the community who made the purchase and equipping of this vehicle possible. The Reverend Dr. Mark E. Yurs presented a prayer for the safety of the truck and those it serves. Rev. Yurs is the father of Belleville Fire Fighter Dale Yurs, which brought a familial connection to the ceremony.

Belleville Squad 3 replaced Belleville Squad 5, which had been purchased in 1992. Squad 3 is a 2018 Pierce custom squad body mounted on an International chassis. Squad 3 was delivered to the department the week after Christmas and responded to its first call on January 29, 2019.

The Squad 3 purchase was completed at a cost of $350,000.00 in municipal funds, which included the truck, radio and mobile data computer and some loose equipment. The Belleville Fire Fighters Association, from funds raised by the Sportsman Banquet, donated an additional $20,000.00 towards the purchase of other rescue equipment to replace and update equipment carried on the truck. A full complement of equipment carried on Squad 3 for grain bin rescue has also been added to the department's rescue capabilities.

Squad 3 brings new response capabilities to the Belleville Fire Department. In September of 2018, a fundraising event was held by Dot's Tavern, along with a $2,500.00 donation from the New Glarus Brewery, allowed the department to purchase a large lot of water rescue equipment. Equipment purchased with these funds includes cold-water exposure suits, dry suits, an inflatable rescue boat, ropes, helmets and personal flotation devices.

Belleville Squad 5 was sold to the Alto Fire Department in Fond Du Lac County, Wisconsin, and will continue to be used as a fire response vehicle.

Sue Moen

The Belleville Fire Department cannot express enough thanks to the community for their continued generous support of our mission to meet and exceed your needs for fire service. We are very excited about the future as we better our capabilities to serve you, none of which would be possible without your continued support. Again, we thank you and hope to see many of you at the annual Fish Boil on Saturday, May 18, 2019.

By Chanse Kaczmarski, Deputy Chief, Belleville Fire Department

More photos are available on http://www.suepics.com.