By Karina Cheung | kcheung@wtajtv.com Published 07/17 2016 07:06PM Updated 07/17 2016 07:06PM Martinsburg Volunteer Fire Department's new engine is in service and ready for any emergency. Fire Chief Randy Acker says it's designed for the area. "We designed it to keep it small for getting into hard places, because all the fire trucks are getting bigger nowadays," explained Acker.
At just under $500,000 it has a hefty price tag, but the company put together a truck fund 4 years ago to save up for the new truck.
The company also applied for grants.
"We needed to replace our five inch hose on our older other trucks, so we applied for a grant and got a grant to replace all of our hose and nozzles. Then we applied for a grant for the new engine to pay for the emergency lighting, sirens, and that equipment," said Acker.
The department had to take out a $175,000 loan to get the truck home. They say hope to see it paid off in around 10 years.
"A lot of the local businesses really support us with our fundraisers," explained fire department President, Doug Smith. "They actually give us a prize as a donation and then we can make money off of it, so it's definitely a community fair they help us out a lot."
The 2016 Rosenbaur truck is full of safety features such as rear and side cameras.Those features will help protect volunteers while out on a call.
"They guys are all excited because now they'll be able to get into a quieter vehicle, closed cab with heat and air conditioning. They can get to the calls a lot safer.
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