Coroner Novacich prepares for major disaster(s) by buying Ford F-350 Crew Cab

by Randy Pierce • While not feeling any undue expectations and somewhat prompted by an increase in “destructive” weather in the area this year, Madison County Coroner Nick Novacich has made a positive step forward in the direction of responding to a major disaster, should one occur. 

As discussed at a recent meeting of the county board finance and government operations committee then approved unanimously by the full board last month, Novacich’s department is acquiring a 2026 Ford F-350 four-door crew cab pickup truck with a 176-inch-wheelbase from Morrow Brothers Ford Inc. of Greenfield, Illinois at a discounted price of $72,988 to be paid for from funds collected for fees paid to the coroner’s office. The F-350 is Ford’s largest and strongest light-duty truck available for civilians to buy. Medium-duty trucks start with the F-450. 

That dealership has been selected by the state’s general services department for providing vehicles to various government entities at volume-based reduced prices as part of a long-standing “bid-buy” program established in Illinois which is designed to save money for the purchasers.

During the aforementioned committee meeting, one of its members, Dalton Gray of Troy, asked for an explanation about the purchase which was pending final approval at that time.

Novacich answered that some years ago, a refrigerated trailer that can hold up to 25 bodies was acquired at no cost to taxpayers but there was no vehicle capable of pulling it within his department’s inventory even though a few tried.

Then, when a tornado caused serious damage to the Amazon warehouse facility in Edwardsville on Dec. 10, 2021, resulting in the deaths of six people, back when Stephen Nonn, who has since retired as coroner, still held that office, it became apparent, according to Novacich, that a solution concerning a vehicle to pull that trailer was needed.

“We had to wait multiple hours,” Novacich, whose extensive decades-long career in public safety, including serving as chief of police in Granite City, preceded his election as coroner in 2024, explained in reference to the Amazon situation, “before we could bring our equipment (including the trailer) to the scene “so we could borrow someone else’s truck.”

Providing further justification for the purchase of the truck, which is much more capable of handling heavy loads than a conventional pick-up and includes a “dually” configuration (meaning two tires and wheels on each side of the rear axle), to pull the trailer, Novacich added, “We’ve recently noticed an uptick in tornadoes in our area, especially the violent nature of them. They’re becoming more destructive and, unfortunately with that, an office like mine has to prepare for the worst.”

“What we are wanting to do,” he continued, “is be out ahead of this thing in the event that we do have some form of catastrophic event that we would need this trailer.”

“God forbid we ever do,” Novacich concluded, “but we want to be prepared for our citizens if we have to be.”
Following further brief discussion concerning the use of the term “box” to describe the truck, when Gray inquired concerning whether the county’s emergency management agency would have a vehicle that could pull the trailer, Novacich offered a valid response.

“The problem that we have with that is that whenever we have an incident,” the coroner stated, “they (emergency management) also have an incident and they’re also pulling their equipment as well.”

“And again,” he went on, “like I said, we don’t want to delay [our] response time in any way, shape or form. For us, it’s more about the care of our citizens and we want to be ready at every waking moment we can possibly be.”