City unveils new fire engines
Published 11:25 pm Tuesday, April 28, 2015
he two new fire engines were paid for from the city of Selma’s half cent sales tax.
Tuesday was a big day for the Selma Fire Department as it unveiled two new fire trucks, Engine 2 and Engine 4.
“We’re replacing a 1998 model and a 1995 model fire truck with 2015 trucks,” said Selma Fire Chief Mike Stokes. “We’re really excited [to have the trucks in]. It’s a big upgrade to Fire Station No. 2, which is located in East Selma, and to Fire Station No. 4, which is located in West Selma.”
According to Stokes, the two new engines, which cost a combined $975,000, are bigger and better with new technology and are safer than previous trucks.
“The technology is definitely improved here,” Stokes said. “They’re customized. They’re actually designed exactly the way we want them. They’re built to the specs that [a special fire department panel] gave them as far as the way they look, their functionality, their length, their height, their weight, everything is based on what we gave them so it’s designed to fit our needs right here in Selma.”
Selma City Councilman Sam Randolph and Benny Tucker alongside Selma Mayor George Evans and Selma Fire Chief Mike Stokes pose in front of Engine 4, one of the department’s two new fire trucks.
Everything about the trucks was built to the satisfaction of Stokes and members of the fire department, and was built with the firefighters in mind.
“Everything’s been upgraded,” Stokes said. “We’ve just really tried to make it more user friendly. Things that we use a lot or all the time, they’re going to be positioned on the truck at a user friendly height, things that aren’t used very often they’ll go up into a different area.”
Although the old trucks provided the department with nearly two decades of service, Stokes said it was time to upgrade and give the department more up to date equipment.
“It was pretty crucial,” Stokes said in reference to the department needing the two new fire trucks. “When you’re getting 20 plus years out of a piece of equipment, it’s a testament to how the guys treat the equipment, the attention that they put into it every single day, making sure that it’s operable — things that are not working we get them fixed right away.
“We do everything we can to get maximum life out of it.”
From start to finish, Stokes said the process took about a year and a half. After talking with sales representatives and the manufacturing company, the fire department had to present the idea to officials before the ordering process could begin.
“We appreciate all of our elected officials in Selma for voting to do this. We appreciate the citizens of Selma for supporting the half cent sales tax increase which is where this money is coming from,” Stokes said. “Although the cost of these things is a little bit high, you divide that over 20 years and you’re getting a whole lot of bang for your buck. I think deep down all of [the firefighters] are excited to have them. It’s like Christmas.”
