At noon on Friday, September 12, 2025, the City Commission met at City Hall for a special meeting to finalize the financing and equipment purchases for the Arkansas City Fire/EMS Department’s newest fire truck. This project has been in the works since March 7, 2023, when the Commission first authorized the purchase of the custom-built Ferrara Custom Cinder T-Engine. After a long wait for the build, the truck is now complete. To equip it for service, the Commission approved the purchase of:
• $117,949.79 in loose equipment from Fire Master Fire Equipment, Inc.
• $30,279.26 in SCBA units and spare bottles from Feld Fire
• $5,891.78 in radios from First Wireless, Inc.
This brings the total for equipment to $154,120.83. The Commission also approved a lease-purchase agreement with Union State Bank, financing the truck and all equipment for a total of $1,034,520.83, to be paid over a 10-year term. Although purchased and budgeted in 2023, the truck’s custom build has taken time to complete. The Arkansas City Fire/EMS Department will officially take ownership of the new T-Engine on September 17, 2025, adding a powerful new tool to protect and serve our community.