Monticello Rotary Club President Edward Carraway, who with Jim Jones, of the Crystal River Rotary Club, recently traveled to Guatemala to check on the truck and the other firefighting equipment that the Rotarians donated and meet with the truck's new crew and chief.
MVFD last year donated its 1982 fire engine to the local Rotary Club when the department upgraded its fleet with the addition of two used but newer engines. Even though the 1982 engine was deemed no longer adequate for use here, as it didn't meet U.S. standards, it was still functional and capable of viability. Thus, the Monticello Rotary Club, in conjunction with the Crystal River club, which calls itself the King's Bay Rotary, last year shipped the fire truck via barge to Patulul, a small village in Guatemala's mountainous region.