Thirty-two volunteer fire departments across the province received a significant boost earlier today that will help them fight forest fires.
The volunteer fire departments have each been gifted a fire skid unit by the charity GlobalMedic.
Executive Director Rahul Singh calls the fire skids “revolutionary.”
New tanks are loaded into pickups (VOCM News)
He says it consists of a 1,000 litre tank that is mounted onto a welded skid, and it is equipped with a pump and a hose. The unit can be placed into the back of any pickup truck, effectively turning it into a fire truck.
Singh says a new fire truck costs about $1.4-million, while these units only cost about $4,000, and because they can be put in a pickup, can get into wooded areas a lot more easily.
Pickups from various volunteer fire departments lined up to accept their near equipment (VOCM News)
The units were stored inside the Loblaw Distribution Centre in Mount Pearl, and on Tuesday, thirty-two pickup trucks lined the parking lot outside.
A forklift driver loaded the units into the backs of various fire department vehicles one-by-one.
Marystown Fire Chief Justin Bolt (VOCM News)
The Marystown Volunteer Fire Department was among the recipients and Fire Chief Justin Bolt says they are very grateful.
He says their goal is to protect the community, and having the unit adds to their ability to do that.
