A Green Country volunteer fire department is adding to its fleet. The Olive Fire Department dedicated its newest fire engine Sunday and getting the new multi-purpose fire engine is historic for the department. Olive is about 15 miles southwest of Mannford.
It might just look like an ordinary fire truck to some, but the 2016 Pierce Pumper-Tanker is much more to the Olive Volunteer Fire Department and the communities it serves.
"We've never had something like this before," said Olive Volunteer Fire Department assistant chief Jason Dobson.
Olive, Oklahoma, has the Happy Corner convenience store, a K-12 school, a church and, of course, it's volunteer fire department - the heart of the tiny town.
It's everything to the community.
"Our fire district is 44 square miles and approximately 841 people we protect," Dobson said.
The department was founded in in 1993, but before that, those in the community were in a vulnerable position.
"Without us being here to quickly respond [residents would] have to wait for another fire department that could take up to 10 minutes to get here. And in 10 minutes we know a fire could consume a home. Ten minutes means life. It could be life-changing for someone suffering cardiac arrest," Dobson said.
Before Olive's department was established, those in the community depended on help from fire departments in surrounding towns.