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At last weeks Webster City City Council meeting, the council approved funds for a new grass fire truck, replacing one that's 31 years old. It sounds simple, but there's much more to the story. Explaining the need for the new truck, Webster City Fire Chief Chuck Stansfield, explained to the city council, "We inherited our current truck from the cemetery years ago, and created a grass fire truck to meet the needs of our district." Now, WCFD is in the market for a replacement for the aging grass fire truck.
A 1995 Chevy half-ton pickup, retired by Graceland Cemetery, was the basis for today’s grass fire truck. It was fitted with heavier springs, a pump, two garden hoses and 10 water-filled extinguishers. Rakes and shovels were put aboard, so fire fighters could ensure fires are fully extinguished. All the work was done at the fire station by WCFD staff.
That first, homemade truck, provided the learning curve needed to buy a new, better-equipped truck. Stansfield and his team drew-up specifications. They wanted a larger, 1-ton Chevy truck, with dual tires and extended cab, able to carry 4-5 fire fighters. A ¾" hose connected to the top of the water tank enables the new truck to fight bigger fires, without an additional truck and personnel.
Next, Stansfield turned to the cost. $110,000 is earmarked for a new grass fire truck in the city's capital equipment plan. Recently, a vendor, aware of the city's need for a new grass fire truck, visited WCFD to demonstrate a fully-equipped model, hoping to sell it. The price? $250,000. Looking around the state, Stansfield discovered the city of Badger paid $367,000 for a new truck in November 2025, and Clarinda, $204,000 for one in 2023. Stansfield said, "paying that much simply wasn't a realistic option for us."
So he began soliciting quotes for the truck's individual components, hoping to save money by packaging them together himself, to get the truck he wanted, instead of paying someone else to do it. Here's a summary of quotations he provided in a memorandum to City Council:
Component / item Cost Supplier Comments
2026 Chevy 3500 pick-up $52,928.94 Karl Chevrolet, WC state bid price*
Custom flatbed $26,303.00 EBY Sales & Service only quote received from Story City
Skid w/pump $15,723 Dinges Fire best quote received from Amboy, Illinois
Emergency lights $12,132.93 Karl Chevrolet, Webster City best option available
Decals $2,000.00 Chase Decals, Ames best quote received
Total $109,087.77
*The Iowa Department of Administrative Services solicits competitive bids on thousands of products and services each year. The resulting "state bid" prices are guaranteed by suppliers to be the lowest available in the market.
Thus, the city is getting the new fire truck it needs for less than half it might have paid otherwise. In this example, comparison shopping resulted in savings for WCFD, the city of Webster City, and taxpayers.
"(The new truck) will give us better performance, and improved safety for our firefighters," said Stansfield.