During Monday night’s Hampton County Council meeting, County Fire Chief Greg Cook and members of the Hampton County Fire/Rescue squad were proud to display two new fire trucks that will help Hampton County provide better fire protections to its citizens.  

The trucks are being funded by a $500K Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the Department of Commerce. Additional grant funding from FEMA and other sources was also announced recently and will help fund additional equipment and paid firefighters.

Hampton County is the fire service provider for 11 stations. Three stations belong to municipalities and eight stations belong to the county as well as the unincorporated areas of the county. The county currently has an ISO rating of 5/10. However ISO reviews are to occur every two to five years and the county’s last review occurred in 2016.

Firefighters unveiled the truck, a 2018 Ford F-550, at Tuesday’s Derry Township supervisors meeting. Four men can ride in the truck’s cab, but it’s the right size to fit up a narrow driveway or alley, Piantine said.

 

The attack truck can carry 300 gallons of water as well as 30 gallons of foam for dousing woods fires. According to Piantine, purchase of the $324,000 truck was made possible by a $275,000 grant the township obtained from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “They got it through the grant writers they hire,” he said. “Without the supervisors getting the grant, we never would have got (the truck).”

The new Engine No. 4 was customized to meet Greeneville Fire Department needs and funded in part by a $60,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  

One of the most important things that a community can do is upgrade its firefighting equipment, said Congressman Phil Roe, R-1st, of Johnson City, during the ceremony.

 

The town is blessed to have a good relationship with the local USDA, said Greeneville City Administrator Todd Smith, and the local office contacted the town a few years ago about the possibility of applying for a grant, but a quick turnaround was needed.

The city’s predicament is that one of two engines is out of service. The city has purchased a computer to diagnose the issues with one truck. It hasn’t arrived. It’s possible that the vehicle could be repaired and its pump pressure testing might meet standards.  The next pump exam is set for late fall or early spring. City Councilman Donnie Wilson suggested waiting on the status of the truck and seeing if a new one is needed and develop a financing plan.

“If this would have been handled prior we wouldn’t have this issue,” said Jeremy St. John, a firefighter and city councilman.

Generally, it takes about eight months to manufacture a truck. By prepaying it, the city would save about $26,000. Additionally, it has identified a $30,000 USDA Rural Development grant it might qualify for. The fire truck estimate is expected to jump another 3-3.5 percent in February.