EVANSVILLE – Burpee and Mills Township volunteer fire department welcomed a new member to its fold in the form of a new (to the local fire department) tanker pumper truck.
“This tanker pumper is in really good shape,” stated Jeff Middleton, fire chief for the Burpee and Mills Volunteer Fire Department. “It is a 1999 Freightliner tanker pumper and holds 2,500 gallons of water.”
“I believe there was only around 17,000 kilometres of mileage on the truck when the township bid on it,” said Mr. Middleton. “It has all the bells and whistles on the vehicle, it is a tandem and has a pumper on it. It will outlast all of us on the fire department.”
“Shane Chatwell (township roads foreman) did a lot of legwork on getting the truck,” said Mr. Middleton, noting it was purchased from the Whitby Fire Department.
Mr. Middleton explained, “our former truck was old—about 40 plus years old. It had come from the Robinson Township fire department about 20 years ago and it was at least 20 years old when we bought it.
The Douglas A. Smith Family Foundation made a healthy donation toward the purchase of the tanker pumper truck, along with the township providing some funding, and the fire fighters fundraising efforts, such as holding pancake breakfasts went toward the purchase of the vehicle.
