CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — Firefighters in Odem can breathe a sigh of relief now that they have their fire tanker back. It’s been more than a year since they’ve seen it.
"We were on a call and the tanker, and the engine pumper were both going, and she just went out within 30 seconds and blew the engine,” firefighter Dan Chapman said.
That happened back in November of 2022, leaving the Fire Department without a mobile water source.
"80% of our calls involve this tanker because if we're not in city limits then we have to take the water to the fire,” Chapman said.
Working without the tanker was a challenge for more than a year.
Firefighters did what they could with the equipment they had and the help of other fire departments.
"A lot of times we would run out of water and literally have to wait on another responding entity to arrive with a refill,” Chapman said.
The tanker truck was fixed in July but there was a problem.
"The truck was sitting in the repair shop, finished, but we couldn't get it until the bill was paid,” Chapman said.
A bill the city needed to pay and with the financial hardships, Odem is going through right now.
Mayor David Maldonado spoke with the repair shop, and they received more time to pay the bill.
"That was approved prior to me coming in so I felt we couldn't do that to one of our vendors because when we do need repairs. They're there for us, so we found a way,” Maldonado said.
It was paid and the Odem Volunteer Fire Department got its tanker truck a few days ago.
The firefighters told KRIS 6 News that while they prefer new equipment, they are thankful to have their tanker back as the tanker helps make their job a lot easier when it comes to saving lives in Odem.
