FRIDAY AFTERNOON (August 27) THE OFFICIALS FROM E-ONE fire apparatus announced the winner of their annual contest to recieve a new E-One pumper. More than 700 volunteer fire departments had entered essays describing why they needed a new fire engine and spelling out the financial predicaments that prevented them from purchasing one.
The Grand Prize E-ONE fire engine.
Photo by Larry Shapiro
The applications were winnowed down to 7 finalists by a group of judges and the winner was selected by garnering the most votes from the public during an open period that ended on Friday. At 3 pm from the floor of the Fire Rescue International convention held by the IAFC, they announced that the Owens Cross Roads (Alabama) VFD was the winner of the $250,000 engine. It will be used to replace a 42-yr.-old engine that has ceased to be serviceable and cannot be repaired.
Owens Cross Roads VFD Fire Chief Dan Kelly
reacts when he hears his department named the winner.
Larry Shapiro photo.
The Huntsville Times continues:
Owens Cross Roads said it would dedicate the state-of-the-art vehicle to the memory of Robert M. Maples, who helped found the department in 1958 and served as its assistant chief for half a century. He died in September 2009.
“I’m so on Cloud Nine right now,” said (Garland) Elders, Owens Cross Roads’ fire chief from 2002-06. “It’s awesome.”
Elders said he’s not sure when or how the truck will be delivered to Owens Cross Roads, located a few miles east of Hampton Cove. But he said Madison County Commissioner Jerry Craig, who represents the area and lives nearby in New Hope, wants to throw a party to celebrate its arrival.
E-ONE workers immediately applied the name
of the winning FD to the pumper that was on
display in the exhibit hall.
Larry Shapiro photo.“This is definitely going to upgrade our equipment,” Elders said. “It’ll have everything we need to fight structure fires and try to save lives and property in our community.”
He said the new pumper will replace a 1968 Chevrolet truck known as “Mr. Maples’ engine.”
WHNT-TV Ch. 19 Huntsville ran this video report on the award:
Chicago Area Fire website has a photo report from the floor of the exhibit hall on the drawing HERE.
Go to Chicago Area Fire’s homepage HERE to see a photo report on new Chicago area apparatus that were also on display.
Fire Photographer Larry Shapiro has a 66-image photo gallery on the E-ONE display and giveaway event HERE.
Also on FireGeezer…
- Spartan Goes Mini – March 9, 2011
