Air conditioning - perhaps a necessity for many Middle Georgia motorists battling the stale heat of an August afternoon - has for some time been only an imagined luxury for Houston County firefighters: The trucks that carry them to searing hot blazes have no climate-control systems.
But, for the first time in a long time, the county has decided to buy two new fire engines, complete with air-conditioned cabs. It accepted a bid Tuesday to purchase the trucks and their related equipment for about $366,000 from FireLine, Inc., in Winder.
County Fire Chief Jimmy Williams said for a long time, air conditioning had not been standard on the trucks. But over the years, it evolved as a way to enhance safety and speed rehabilitation for overcooked firefighters, he said.
But air conditioned cabs were not the only needed upgrade. The new engines will replace trucks that are more than 25 years old.
"I don't even remember the last time we bought one," said Commissioner Tom McMichael.
Williams and a committee of county firefighters developed a list of what the department needed. The trucks can pump 1,500 gallons of water per minute, and hold up to 1,000 gallons of water in their tanks.
"Instead of going to a car lot and picking something out, you can spec out what you want," Williams said.
Said Tommy Stalnaker, Houston County's director of operations: "I can say these people are ready to go - they just need the equipment to go and fight fires with."
Are firefighters glad to be getting something new?
"Yes. Exclamation point. Underline. Bold print," said Jeremiah Price, who works out of station two in Bonaire and was on the committee that put the truck specifications together.
The trucks will take six to seven months to arrive in the county. The two older models they will replace will be sold off or donated to another fire department, Williams said.
Dwayne Gaston, a captain at station seven off of Smithfield Church Road, said the new trucks were an investment for years to come.
"I'm just glad we're getting them," he said.
Distributed by the Associated Press
