News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Cookeville Fire Department dedicated its new fire apparatus Wednesday evening in a more traditional way.
The department and community came together for a dedication inspired by the days of horse-drawn fire engines. Interim Chief Benton Young said that the first step is to wash the engine.
“And that goes back to the horse,” Young said. “When a new horse came into the station, they would give it a bath before they would welcome it to pull the engine. So we’re going to do that first, and then we’re going to wash the wheels and that goes back to the wooden spokes. They would wash the wooden spokes on the wheels after every call.”
Young said that the some $2 million apparatus gives the department use of new, cutting edge technology. He said they gained a new, 107-foot ladder and a new state-of-the-art engine. Young said that another interesting aspect is the apparatus’ emergency alert feature.
“They’ve got what’s called a HAAS system on them,” Young said. “And what that is, like the Waze app on some of the newer vehicles have it. When these engines go out or the ladder goes out, they hit the emergency siren button, it sends a signal to that Waze app, it shows where that engine is responding from, which way it’s heading towards you, and once they stop it will tell you ‘Emergency Ahead.'”
Young said the process to get the apparatus was some year in the making. He said that it started in last year’s budget, and took that time to get the specs drawn up, the engine built, and ready to use.
Mayor Ricky Shelton said the city was honored to be able to help get this for the community.
“This shows our commitment obviously to public safety and we have a wonderful fire department and we’re proud of each and every one of you in the department,” Shelton said. “This was about a 2 million expenditure. I think it’s the first time in history that two fire apparatus were purchased at the same time and we recognize the importance of that and wanted to make that commitment.”
