HALLTOWN FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT CELEBRATES 60TH ANNIVERSARY WITH HISTORIC PUSH-IN CEREMONY FOR FIRST-EVER NEW FIRE TRUCK

All-Volunteer Department Places 2026 Ford F550 Brush/Rescue Truck in Service After Six Decades of Operating Used Equipment
HALLTOWN, Mo. — The Halltown Fire Protection District (HFPD) will hold a traditional fire service Push-In Ceremony on Saturday, April 18, 2026, to officially place its first-ever new fire
truck in service—a milestone 60 years in the making. The public is invited to attend the celebration at Station 1, 109 Elm Street, Halltown, Missouri.
In six decades of protecting the Halltown community, the all-volunteer department has never purchased a new vehicle—until now. Every truck in HFPD’s fleet has been acquired used or surplus. That changes with the commissioning of a 2026 Ford F550 4x4 brush/rescue truck equipped with a custom Alum-Line aluminum truck bed and a Feld Fire skid unit carrying 400 gallons of water and foam. The truck is purpose-built for the full range of emergencies the district faces: motor vehicle accidents and extrications on Interstate 44, medical emergencies, grass and vehicle fires, and hazardous materials response.
“This truck represents everything our volunteers have worked toward for the past several years,” said Rob Maupin, Chairman of the HFPD Board of Directors. “In 60 years, we’ve never been able to say we bought something new. We did this the right way—saving, planning, and making every tax dollar count for the community that trusts us.”

The new brush/rescue truck was funded entirely in cash through property tax revenues, FEMA storm reimbursements, and cost-recovery fees from motor vehicle accident responses—with no debt incurred. The vehicle package totaling over $108,000 includes the Ford F550 chassis ($72,779), Alum-Line truck bed ($14,588), and Feld Fire skid unit ($20,741).

A Department Transformed
The Push-In Ceremony also marks HFPD’s 60th anniversary as a fire service organization. The district traces its roots to 1966, when baseball legend Mickey Owen—who had established a baseball camp just down the road along historic Route 66—donated an MFA fuel truck to serve as the community’s first fire truck. Appropriately, 2026 also marks the 100th anniversary of Route 66, which runs directly alongside the Halltown fire station and is featured in the department’s badge. Since reorganizing as a tax-supported fire protection district by voter approval in 2021, HFPD has undergone significant transformation. The department improved its ISO fire protection rating from 8b to 7—its first reassessment since the 1990s—and expanded its water supply capacity to over 9,700 gallons across its fleet. Call volume has nearly tripled in two years, growing from 122 incidents in 2023 to 340 in 2025.

The Push-In Tradition
The fire truck push-in ceremony is a historic fire service tradition dating to the 1800s, when horsedrawn wagons could not back into station bays under their own power. Firefighters—and often community members—would physically push new apparatus into the station, symbolizing unity, pride, and the beginning of service. The tradition honors that heritage while welcoming a new vehicle and the era of service it represents.

EVENT DETAILS
What: HFPD Push-In Ceremony & 60th Anniversary Celebration
When: Saturday, April 18, 2026 – 11 am – 2 pm; 12 pm Push-In
Where: Halltown Fire Station 1, 109 Elm Street, Halltown, MO 65664
Cost: Free and open to the public

Community members, elected officials, mutual aid partners, and members of the media are
encouraged to attend. HFPD’s 13 volunteer firefighters serve approximately 1,000 residents across
110 square miles of Lawrence County, including a segment of Interstate 44 (Over 40k vehicles a
day average), two Missouri Department of Conservation sites, YMCA Camp Wakonda, and the
Marathon Pipe Line LLC Lawrence Station.