Fire Company Purchases new Command Vehicle. (November 1, 2004)

The Schooleys Mountain Fire Protection Association recently purchased its own command vehicle for the fire company. The four wheel drive vehicle will be used primarily by the fire chief to respond to emergency situations and establish needs and parameters for an emergency scene. This will allow for evaluation of a situation prior to arrival of other equipment, to determine the proper apparatus needed for any particular incident. The Fire Company then turned the title to the vehicle over to the Township. By donating it to the town, the vehicle can officially serve as part of the emergency services fleet.

The vehicle is equipped with radios to communicate with various Township, County, and Mutual Aid (out of town or county) agencies, as well as breathing apparatus and basic firefighting tools. The Fire Company decided to purchase the vehicle after the Township stated it could not provide the funding to replace a 10+ year old former police cruiser which it had provided several years ago to serve this purpose to a lesser degree. The old sedan, while allowing the chief to establish an early presence at emergency scenes, could not carry all the required equipment, nor was it suitable for rugged terrain or severe weather. The new 4WD vehicle will be much better suited to the needs and demands of the firefighting agency, especially as the number of responses, requirements and standards increase and become more stringent in these times of heightened alert. The Schooleys Mountain Fire Company is grateful for the donations that residents have provided during various fund raising activities, which allowed the Company to make this purchase. They welcome the public support and expect the application of this vehicle will allow them to serve residents better.