The Malahat Volunteer Fire Department has received a donation of a much-needed fire truck from the City of Langford.
The freightliner fire truck, which was relocated to the Malahat Fire Hall earlier this month, has been in use by the Langford Fire Department since 2004 at their Station 3 fire hall.
When a new dual-purpose fire engine was recently purchased by the City of Langford for that fire hall, the truck was slated to go into “reserve” status for the next several years but, rather than see it sit idle, the city recognized another fire department could make better use of it for the duration of its life.
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“This is a lightly used vehicle and in great shape to meet the needs of the Malahat Fire Department over the next few years,” said Chris Aubey, Langford’s fire chief.
“We’re happy to have it stay in use locally, and it will also provide reciprocal support for Langford as Malahat is one of our mutual-aid fire departments.”
Malahat fire chief Tanya Patterson said members of the Malahat fire hall know the history and condition of the truck, and jumped at the opportunity to bring it up the mountain.
In addition to adding another vehicle to its fleet, Engine 2 adds considerable capacity for Malahat to respond to motor-vehicle incidents on the Trans-Canada Highway, which accounts for a bulk of the calls the fire hall responds to.
“We were already looking for a replacement truck so the timing of this donation couldn’t be better,” said Patterson.
“This truck allows us to have five members aboard, as well as our important tools like water and jaws of life, so we’re better equipped when we arrive on site. It’s also laid out the same as our existing truck, so it will be much easier for training our members.”
Firefighting assets often reach their expiration while still in fine condition, and are donated to smaller and less-resourced departments in the province, or to Central and South American countries where they still have value for emergency response.
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“The City of Langford is delighted to partner with the incredible volunteers at Malahat Fire Rescue,” said Scott Goodmanson, Langford’s mayor.
“This collaboration will better equip their team for emergencies and increase capacity to keep the community safe.”
The Cowichan region also recently received $375,000 from the province’s Community Emergency Preparedness Fund, with $210,000 earmarked for new equipment and training for fire departments in North Oyster, Malahat, Mesachie Lake, Sahtlam, Honeymoon Bay, Youbou, and Caycuse.
“On behalf of our volunteer members and the whole community, I want to express our gratitude for this donation that will improve their ability to protect property and save lives,” said Kate Segall, the Cowichan Valley Regional District’s vice chair and director for Mill Bay/Malahat.
“This is a wonderful example of how local governments can collaborate and share resources to save costs and improve services for residents of Vancouver Island.”