With the venture, the group is aiming to become market leader in hydraulic platforms.

CTE is a unit of the CTE Group, the leading manufacturer of platforms and cranes for diverse applications, and sells around 20 to 25 hydraulic platforms to fire departments each year with the annual revenues of some EUR 10 million in the firefighting and rescue platform business.

he apparatus is built for the rigors of the fire service and is easily mounted in the back of a pickup truck or a custom-built bed and is especially effective in handling wildfires and car fires.

The new slip-on greatly improves Victoria County's capacity to serve its community. The unit has foam capability, can be operated from the cab of the truck and is a lighter, more powerful unit, said Victoria County Fire Department Chief Deputy Richard Castillo.

The Victoria County Fire Department has already used the new slip-on for fires, including a mile-long fire on U.S. 77 and a six-acre fire that was ignited by hay bales.

The fire department serves a population of about 9,000 people in more than 79 square miles of Victoria County.

He credited the department’s truck committee for successfully conducting the search.

“It was delivered on July 15,” said Henry. “It’s a 2004 Ford equipment truck. It cost $60,000 and was paid for by levy money plus money made at fundraisers.”

He said part of that sum went towards shelves, radios and other emergency

equipment for the truck.

“We’ll have it completely outfitted by September,” he said. “It’s replacing a 1990 truck that was used for 15 years and is now out of service. The new truck will also haul Hazmat gear and safety items, traffic cones and signs, pretty much everything we need to get around on the job.”

He said the truck seats four. He said it took the department’s truck committee two years to find a truck that suited the department’s needs. 

It’s retired from that type service and now it’s one of the weapons the Durant Fire Department uses to win the battle against fire.

The former military vehicle has been re-purposed and doesn’t even resemble it’s old incarnation. It’s past name no longer matters as she is now “Tender-3,” as named by the Durant Fire Department.

That name is proudly painted on the side in black, emblazoned on top of fire truck red.

The vehicle was passed through various departments, first the Forestry Department, then the Southern Oklahoma Development Association acquired the vehicle for Durant Fire Department.

Cecil Mackey started the ball rolling for the acquisition while at SODA and then Phil Powell took that position and finished up placement of the vehicle, according to Durant Fire Chief Roger Joines.

The entire Durant Fire Department is proud of their newest vehicle and firefighting tool.

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