Statesville gets free fire truck for airport
June 1, 2012, 02:40 pm
The Statesville Fire Department in North Carolina has been given a free 2003 Jaguar fire truck, valued at $550,000. The truck is designed specifically for fighting fires and undergoing rescue operations on aircraft, and it had been previously used at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia. The truck was given to Statesville by the federal government in conjunction with the North Carolina Division of Forest Resources.
Fire Chief David Bullins told The Charlotte Observer the truck will be stored at Statesville Regional Airport, where it will be used for training and firefighting. The department does not plan to add any additional staff after acquiring the truck because it can be operated by one firefighter.
“In our department’s most recent hazardous risk analysis, the airport was identified as an area that needed to be improved,” Bullins told the newspaper. “When I heard of this truck’s availability at no cost to local taxpayers, it seemed like a perfect way to enhance our coverage at the airfield.”
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