There's a big new shiny fire truck sitting in the fire station of the South Shore Volunteer Fire Department.
"We bought a new 2016 Pierce Custom Pumper and it mainly replaces a truck that was a (19) 94 model," South Shore Fire Chief Kenny Taylor said. "It cost $470,000 and it's got all the safety features on any truck that's available at this day and time."
Taylor said the fire department had been saving their money for several years and had saved over $200,000 for a new truck. Add to what they had saved, $200,000 borrowed from First and People's Bank, and the purchase is made.
"The other truck was a good truck but it was a 94 model, just getting older, just like everything else," Taylor said. "It has to be updated."
"The fire equipment company we bought it off of in McConnellsville, Finley Fire Equipment, came in and showed us how to pump and operate it," Taylor said. "But it's pretty close to the one we got rid of as far as the operation of the truck itself, and then we've been taking drivers training on it the last month or so to let everybody get familiarized with it, where it's a custom cab."
"We had also bought a brand new boat and we bought a new rescue truck in between times," Taylor said. "and we had been saving our money for the last several years, and we're saving money now for another new truck 10 years down the road."