53 years in the making
They say good things come to those who wait! Campbellton Volunteer Fire Department is living proof of that. It has been 53 years since they’ve had a new fire truck, dating back to 1971.
Campbellton Fire Chief Danny Taylor has been with the department for 50 of those years. Last Wednesday, the wait was over. Campbellton’s first responders were the recipients of a shiny new engine to their fleet.
People from the community who stopped by the fire department today to check out the sweet new ride were happy for the department and for the upgrade to their department.
One outstanding feature of the new fire engine is its ability to hold more firefighters than the one presently in use. It can carry as many as five firefighters, allowing them to be on the scene at the same time. Fire officials say they will be making some modifications in order to get it fully equipped to respond to calls, many of which involve accidents on Highway 231.
Chief Taylor said, “We work a lot of wrecks and stuff up and down to 231. And now that truck will be, I think, real good for that. We’re going to have our newer jaws mounted and we will have our air packs in there. We’ll have our medical kit in there. Florida Highway Patrol tells us that if we have an accident, if we can move the vehicle out of the road to do so.”
“We’re very excited to have something new because as you look around all I put in is also we are excited that we got this grant from the USDA who helped us get this grant and hit this campaign out. And so, we’re just excited. I’m excited as being the mayor of this little-small community. We are hoping for big things. And this is the start of something new,” Mayor Douglas Cotton added.
The USDA grant made up $287,000 of funding for the truck, and an additional $2,300 was raised to attain it.
Chief Taylor said they’ve made do with the older equipment since he’s been there, but the benefits of this new truck will be plentiful.
Photo By Mark Skinner
From the left are volunteer firefighters Tyler Land and Aaron Taylor, Campbellton town attorney John McDaniel, Mayor Doug Cotton and Fire Chief Danny Taylor
Photo By Mark Skinner
A happy Danny Taylor was celebrating the latest addition to the Campbellton Volunteer Fire Departments motor pool last week