The Midway Fire Department is sending out a big thank you after the donation of a new piece of firefighting equipment by the Oliver Fire Department.
The device, called a quick skid porta tank, is a mobile firefighting pump that can sit in the back of a pick-up truck. The pump is now in the back of the Midway Fire command vehicle after being donated recently.
Fire Chief Walter Osellame said the unit is unlike anything the fire department has—and will make a big difference during wildfire season.
“This will actually be able to get to small fires quickly,” he said.
The unit is valued at around $5,000, but Osellame said it comes with some extra benefits that can’t be bought on existing models.
“So [the Oliver fire department] bought one, and realized all the things that weren’t working very well,” he said. “They took that prototype and found it what would be better and put it on ours.”
Firefighter Dennis Munckoff, who owns Munckoff Manufacturing, built the unit.
The unit has a 250-metre hose and a 150-gallon tank. Osellame said it’ll do a lot to help respond, especially since the command vehicle is often the first on scene.
“Fire trucks don’t go as fast as people think. They’re big units, and they don’t do 130 kilometres an hour. They’ll do a hundred,” Osellame said. “This truck will … get there a whole lot quicker and respond faster.”
“The people at Oliver saw what we were doing and wanted to help,” he added. “They were that cognisant of our needs in the community. If we can get containment sooner, that makes a huge difference.”