Iron Saddle Ranch Owners Roy and Beth Landers have donated a two-wheel flatbed trailer that will be used as part of the Salem Fire Department’s mobile water supply equipment unit.
Salem Fire Protection District Chief Jim Cerny explains the need.
“This is going to be a mobile water supply trailer. We’re going to have portable tanks, hard suction, a pump that we can use at a rural water supply source or at the drop tank source,” Cerny said. “It would be used in places like the recent Farina chicken fire. It makes it very versatile to have it all in on a trailer in one spot, where we can tow it with a pickup truck and get it where we need it.”
The trailer will be equipped with 2,500 and 2,000 gallon tanks and a 500 gallon a minute pump the department already owns.
Roy Landers notes the donation came after the trailer had been stolen and later recovered.
“The fire department was actually looking at this trailer and then it came up missing. The Salem Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff’s Department got involved and they kind of put some words out,” Landers said. “Some people came up and said they knew where it was at. Ended up getting it back for us and there was very little damage to it… The fire department wanted it, so we decided to donate it to them so they could use it for their water carrier.”
Landers notes he never did learn who stole the trailer. A person came to his door one night and said he knew where it was at and if Landers didn’t get him involved, he would retrieve it. A few days later the trailer was found parked outside his home.
Cerny says the fire department is very appreciative of the donation.
