Springfield airport adds $1.3M firetruck to fleet

The Springfield-Branson National Airport is adding a new 3,000-gallon firetruck to its fleet.

The Oshkosh Striker 3000, which cost $1.3 million, is scheduled to be dedicated during a Nov. 29 ceremony at the Airport Fire Department firehouse, 2365 N. FAA Ave., according to a news release.

The vehicle is an aircraft rescue firefighting truck, of which the airport now has three. The new firetruck's capacity is one of the things that makes it unique, according to airport officials.

"A key objective during an aircraft fire is to bring as much water to the fight as possible," officials said in the release. "The new truck carries 3,000 gallons [of] water, 420 gallons of firefighting foam and 500 pounds of firefighting dry chemical. Compare this to a typical firetruck used for house fires: It carries 500 gallons of water."

The 2023 Oshkosh Striker 3000 was paid for with airport funds.

The wetdown ceremony planned on Wednesday includes a retiring firetruck shooting water on the new truck, after which members of the airport community will dry the new vehicle and push it into the firehouse, according to the release.

In 2022, the Airport Fire Department responded to 79 medical calls and nine aircraft emergencies. The average response time to medical calls is two minutes.