Staff
Thanks to a few government grants and some financial contributions from the corporate community and individuals, the folks of Bentley and area can sleep a bit easier following the purchase of a new fire rescue truck.
“It’s brand new. It’s got a command post inside it where we have four breathing apparatus where the firefighters can get the tanks on and ready to fight fires,” said Bill Garries, chief of the Bentley Fire Department. “It’s also got a laptop computer that we used for an accountability system that tells us how much air is in each breathing apparatus.”
But it certainly doesn’t stop there.
The new unit also features self-contained cord reels with an automatic rewind allowing fire fighters to plug into any available electricity. If there isn’t any electricity nearby, the unit has that covered as well with its own generator including a light pole that can be rotated in any direction.
Built in South Dakota, the truck also features a hydraulic pump to operate extraction equipment such as the Jaws of Life, a wireless Blue Tooth connection to monitor firefighters while inside structures and automatic tones that sound to trigger an evacuation notice.
“It was a joint effort between the Town of Bentley, the County of Lacombe and the fire department,” Garries said in regards to the estimated $360,000 price tag for the unit. “The Town and the County applied for a Municipal Sponsorship Grant, which went towards the purchase. The fire department is going to pay towards their share of it and the Town and County put in, I believe $18,000 each.”
As for the fire department’s share of the cost, they raised $45,000 through another provincial grant in conjunction with the Town as well as receiving support from area corporations and individuals.
“We had a lot of private citizens who donated a lot of money be it $20 or $50 or $100,” Garries added. “People came and said ‘here, we think this is important and here’s what I can give’”.
To show their gratitude, the fire department recently held an open house where they invited the public to come and check out the new equipment and enjoy a bit of lunch. “I’m not too sure how many people showed up but we served some hotdogs as a show of appreciation to all the people that helped us with donations to help us purchase our new rescue truck,” he said. “I wish more people had shown up, but we gave them a tour and showed them around and what it was all about.”
For those who happened to miss the open house the first time around, Garries said they’ll be holding another this Oct. as part of Fire Prevention Week.
“If it hadn’t been for the support of everyone, we never would have got it done with the extra equipment and stuff we needed for it. Our guys are very appreciative of the Town for stepping up to help us with it,” the chief concluded. “The corporate and community people who helped with donations was absolutely extraordinary. It seems that in all the towns around here – Bentley, Rimbey, Eckville – that when we think we need something, they help us out all they can.”