With the soon-to-be commissioned new Fire Hall at the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport, two top-of-the-line fire trucks are being provided for the Anguilla Fire and Rescue Services. One of them has already been inspected in Austria, and the other will be examined in the United States over the coming days.
Both vehicles have been funded under the UK Government Grant, through the Governor’s Office in Anguilla, and are coming with a price tag of just under one million US dollars, according to Chief Fire Officer, Mr. Shondell Hodge.
Mr. Hodge, who was accompanied to Austria by Fire Fighter, Mr. Craig Emanuel, and Mr. Patrick Niles who represented the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Utilities, told The Anguillian newspaper: “My trip to Austria was basically to evaluate one of the airport fire appliances that we purchased. It is a 2018 Rosenberg Panther. May I say it is a very impressive piece of equipment. We were satisfied with all elements of the appliance. It definitely exceeds the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) requirements, and we are awaiting the arrival of the appliance in January 2019.”
He continued: “The next trip will be to Michigan in the United States to evaluate and purchase another brand new Rosenberg Panther domestic fire appliance. It is a different version of fire appliance than the one in Austria. Even though they are the same Rosenberg Panthers, they have different specifications. The one from the United States comes with a higher extension turret which can elevate to as much as thirty meters. The appliances roughly cost under one million US dollars each.”
“What will these two modern fire trucks mean for your department”? Mr. Hodge was asked.
“They will enhance our resource capabilities tremendously,” he replied. “I will no longer have to wake up every day thinking whether I am going to have an appliance breakdown today or tomorrow. These appliances will hopefully serve the Anguilla Fire and Rescue Services for the next twenty years. They are brand new and it is the first time that we are making such an investment.
“The vehicles we have now are over twenty years of age. One of the major problems we have with them is finding spare components. We recently had a blown motor and we reached out to the manufacturing company, but it is now out of operation. We have contacted another company which is now making parts for our engine because it is obsolete.”
Mr. Hodge added: “The new fire trucks will instantly modernize the Anguilla Fire and Rescue Services. Even though the vehicles and the new Fire Hall were separate projects, they complement each other.”
