Donated N.C. Fire Truck Helps Island in the Bahamas

MEBANE, N.C. -- A fire truck used in the city of Mebane for more than 30 years is now helping a rural community in the Bahamas in great need of fire protection.

About four years ago, High Point Fire Capt. John Terry became aware of the needs of South Eleuthera Emergency Partners in Tarpum Bay, which is in Eleuthera, Bahamas, through his church, Gibsonville United Methodist.

A group of church members did missionary work in the Bahamas, including David Teague, a firefighter at Fire District 28 in northern Gibsonville. Teague returned with stories about the lack of fire equipment and training on the 109-mile island. At the time, the community didn't have any working fire trucks, a 911 system or any radio communication.

A fire department in New York had donated a truck to South Eleuthera Emergency Partners, but it needed to be fixed and needed parts.

When Terry heard about the needs, he began seeking donations and was able to get parts and equipment for that truck. He and Teague also were able to get some turnout gear and other supplies for them.

In 2009, Terry and Teague loaded two vans that were donated by a church with all the equipment and had them shipped from a port in Fort Lauderdale to the Bahamas. Terry and Teague spent a week in the community working to get that truck operable and trained the volunteers how to use it.

But it was clear to Terry that one truck wasn't enough to fight fires on the island.

"I told them, 'Let me go home and see what I can do. I think I can find you a truck,'" he said.

Terry wrote letters to various fire departments and let all his contacts know what he was looking for. Last summer, Terry, who was teaching a fire academy class in Mebane, noticed the fire department had a 1975 Chevrolet pumper truck that wasn't being used.

"We took it out of service and were going to surplus it," said Mebane Fire Chief Bob Lewis. "Capt. Terry asked us to donate it."

South Eleuthera Emergency Partners sent Lewis a letter in July 2011 expressing the need for the truck.

"Because of the extensive area they had to cover, they were challenged in how well they could respond to emergencies," Lewis said.

The proposal was taken to the Mebane City Council and was approved. Terry worked to get parts and equipment for the truck and had a friend in Kimesville work on it to make sure it could pump water. South Eleuthera Emergency Partners also received a $10,000 grant to help pay for equipment, such as ladders, for the truck.

Terry had the fire truck shipped to the Bahamas March 22. On March 28, he loaded up a rental truck with equipment and drove it to Florida and shipped those items as well. He flew to the area and spent April 9 through 16 there, getting that truck up and running and working with the volunteer fire department.

"I needed to explain how the truck worked to everyone down there," Terry said.

The truck will eventually be housed in a new fire station that is currently being built on the island, but it is unknown when it will be finished.

"They get concrete donated and blocks donated and the local people build it," Terry said. "When they run out of supplies, they have to stop."

A lot of the turnout gear that's been donated to the firefighters in the Bahamas no longer meets firefighting standards required in departments in the United States, but it's valuable to volunteers who previously fought fires in shorts and flip-flops.

"You hear a lot about how pretty Bahamas is," Terry said. "There is a lot of pretty there but there are a lot of poor folks, too. ... We've taken a lot of stuff down there and much of what gets donated wouldn't even meet our standards. But every little bit we do is making some progress for them."

Helping South Eleuthera Emergency Partners is now an important part of Terry's life.

"It's something that keeps me motivated and driven to see what I can do for them the next year," he said.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service