The Smith River Fire Protection District has its first addition to its aging fleet of emergency vehicles since 2001.
On Jan. 21, a 2002 Pierce Pumper arrived at their fire station to replace the aging 1969 Kenworth.
Fire Chief Ron Simpson said the district purchased the 2,000-gallon tanker for $129,000 from a station in Houston, Texas. He said a brand new tanker would have come with a ballpark price tag of $600,000.
He added the volunteer firefighters were excited for their new addition to their fleet.
“They love the new truck. It has so many newer features than the older truck,” Simpson said. “We usually drill on Tuesday nights, when we’re supposed to have training, but they were too busy crawling on the truck and outfitting it with hoses and other equipment.”