Brush trucks are quick response vehicles that are capable of reaching areas quicker than a fire truck and can go places that a fire truck may get bogged down in, such as a field where a combine is on fire. Operators drive the trucks home so they can quickly cover the county’s 800-plus square miles.  

The trucks are part of the Penny Sales Tax priority list. Williamsburg County Fire Chief Randy Swinton said they are just what they needed but don’t come with any extra bells and whistles. “They’re just plain trucks,” he said. “It’s taxpayers’ money. We don’t go with luxury with taxpayers’ money.”

The department received just over $165,000 in new safety and rescue equipment from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s “Assistance to Firefighters” grant program, which only had a 5 percent local match.  

The department’s new equipment includes state-of-the-art battery-operated extrication tools, commonly referred to as “jaws of life;” stabilization jacks for vehicles on their side; airbag lift systems, which can lift vehicles as large and heavy as school buses and freight trucks; and 21 self-contained breathing apparatus.

Ambulance 71, one of four ambulances in use by the FFD, is a redesigned emergency medical vehicle that was made specifically with the safety of the patients and medics in mind, according to FFD Chief Guido Smith.  

The advancements made in creating Ambulance 71 are based on national data regarding how first responders are injured in the line of duty. One feature now available in the new ambulance is a seatbelt system that allows EMTs to get up from their chair and move in the cabin, all while still wearing their seatbelt in the case of a crash.

For $1.1 million, addresses are 3852, 3592 and 3686 Canton Road as the site for the new Fire Station 12.  

For an estimated $150,000, this scope of work for the Canton Road property will involve due diligence investigation inspections to include a title search, appraisal, survey and Phase I environmental assessment and any subsequent tests or inspections required to confirm suitability.

Also, $50,000 will be spent to inspect and evaluate the property.