Botetourt County’s Department of Fire & EMS held an in-servicing ceremony for a new apparatus, “Tanker 7,” last Saturday at the Read Mountain Fire Station.
The brief presentation and ceremony gave guests an opportunity to see the new unit as it gets placed in service. Tanker 7 is a 2023 Pierce Freightliner that has a 400HP Cummins engine with an Allison transmission. It has a water hauling capacity of 3,000 gallons and a pump capable of supplying 1,000 gallons per minute.
Overall, this is a much-needed truck for the community and completes the system’s capability of having one tanker at each of the seven stations. While the Read Mountain service area is mostly covered by hydrants, there are some segments that do not have access to a hydrant for water supply. Additionally, neighboring areas of Blue Ridge, Troutville, and beyond have a great need for mobile water supply support that a water hauling apparatus like a tanker can provide during a fire.
The cost of Tanker 7 was just under $360,000, of which $100,000 was donations received by the Read Mountain Fire Department from the community was applied towards the purchase. The remaining cost was funded by the Board of Supervisors through the local tax base. County Fire & EMS thanked the entire community for helping support this much-needed apparatus to continue to serve citizens.
~ Fincastle Herald staff report
