After a delay pushed its delivery back by over a year, the Huntsville/Lake of Bays Fire Department has the keys to a new frontline pumper.
It will be stationed at the Port Cunnington station and replaces a 25-year-old apparatus that fire officials say is “no longer fit for service.” It was initially ordered in June 2021 from Metalfab in New Brunswick.
With it, the Port Cunnington station, also known as Station 2, will have three fire trucks at the ready.
Meanwhile, the fire truck that was driven more than 1,600 kilometres from Huntsville, Alabama to Baysville in August 2021 will replace the tanker at the Baysville fire hall. The fire department’s mechanics spent the last few months “Canadianizing” the American truck. “Keep in perspective that truck did come from a fire department in Texas, so the climate is considerably different from the one we’d experience here in central to northern Ontario,” said Deputy Fire Chief Paul Calleja.
The new truck is now ready for service. It replaces the fire hall’s 23-year-old tanker. There will be three trucks and one ATV at the station.
“They are new, ready to go, and we’re excited,” said Fire Chief Gary Monahan in a video posted to Lake of Bays’ social media accounts.
In the video, the township’s firefighters were standing in front of the new trucks. “They so much appreciate the fact that we’ve got new equipment,” said Lake of Bays Mayor Terry Glover.
