The Elma Fire Department pumper truck will get necessary repairs after a technician found an issue with the pump.

At the last Elma City Council meeting, Fire Chief Tyson Boling said the truck, along with the EFD’s other vehicles, had passed the initial testing. However, during the test, the technician heard a noise and after checking the pump transmission, found metal pieces. The technician said the pump had lost a bearing.

The truck will be sent to True North Emergency Equipment in Hillsboro, Ore., for repairs. Boling said replacing the pump’s seals and bearings was estimated at $5,000. The city council approved repairs up to $18,000.

“It’s a big job. They put the engine up on lifts in their shop,” Boling said. “There’s a chance of something else being an issue. We just don’t know until they look at it.”

The truck is in the Elma School District maintenance yard for other regular maintenance. Boling said the ESD does all the maintenance on fire vehicles except for the fire parts which must be completed by certified technicians.

The truck was purchased new in 1996. To replace the truck with a similar vehicle could cost as much as $250,000.

“It’s a pretty spendy piece of equipment. It’ll be a while before the next new one, so we’ve got to take care of this one,” Boling said.

Also at the Elma City Council meeting, the members postponed approving Boling as fire chief for a later meeting. Councilmen Pat Miller and Jim Taylor were excused from the meeting, and Councilman Tom Boling recused himself from the vote leaving only Charlie Butterfield and David Blackett to vote. City attorney Dan Glenn said because Tom Boling would receive no monetary benefit from voting, he was able to do so but Tom Boling said he would rather wait for the other council members at the next meeting.

The next Elma City Council meeting is scheduled for Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. A public hearing regarding revenue sources and a possible property tax increase will take place at that meeting.