Through the help of the City, donors and the Firefighters of Houston Foundation’s corporate sponsors, the Houston Fire Department (HFD) has doubled its water-rescue resources since Hurricane Harvey. By clicking on the audio above, you can listen to Captain David Colaiacomo talking about how the rescue vehicle would be used.

HFD’s Station 78 conducted a training using its newest high-water rescue vehicle on Thursday. Along with HFD’s new marine group, captain Colaiacomo made sure his team is fully trained and prepared for any high-water rescues. 

Perhaps the antique apparatus aficionado – who has his personally owned old-time fire engine that’s a memorial to his late brother Providence Fire Department Battalion Chief Frank Quetta – should have said “we’ll have all sorts of interesting things going on” inside Johnston War Memorial Park.

For young and old alike, you see, the “Johnston Jewel” was like Mecca for everyone and anyone who enjoys those shiny red fire trucks that were on display in a number of shapes and sizes Sunday five hours.

Two pumpers, for example, used water from the park’s pond to shoot streams of water into the air that captured the eye of event-goers as well as motorists driving up-and-down Hartford Avenue (Route 6) throughout the day.

One of those stunning streams of water came from 1968 650 Pumper that’s owned and operated at shows like Sunday’s event by the Nicholson family of North Attleboro, MA.

Now the department has emergency vehicles such as engine pumpers, utility trucks and ambulances from the 1990's.

Plans for a special election last year and to put the issue on the ballot in 2018 fell apart, leaving the fire department with no clear plan forward. Senator Blood says the city dropped the ball. 

"You can't get blood from a turnip. Bellevue doesn't generate enough revenue to just magically find this money, we don't have a restaurant tax like Omaha does so we don't have this big slush fund," says Blood. 

In a packed city council meeting last month, the council gave the department over $700,000 to purchase a fire truck, an ambulance and to ensure full staffing but that was only a stop-gap with no clear long term solution.