A Tennessee fire department is dedicating its new tanker to one of its longtime dedicated members who recently died from cancer..
The Sevier Co. Fire Department lost a tanker in the Hatcher Mountain wildfire, which is crucial to their ability to fight large fires, WVLT reported.
“We lost our only tanker. We lost the only thing that shuttles water back and forth the engines can do it but the tankers do it best,” said Captain Dakota Norman.
Recently, they received a tanker from a department in New Hampshire.
“It gives us a deep, deep breath,” said Norman.
With the donation, comes a special memory attached for this volunteer department. About a month before the fires broke out, longtime Firefighter Jeff McCarter, passed away after more than a two-year battle with cancer.
Some called the firefighter of 42 years the glue of the department, and always showed how much he cared about his job.
“After cancer, after chemo, he still showed up for meetings and drills. He kept showing up,” Norman told reporters.
