Tennessee Volunteer Fire Departments to Receive New Equipment
July 27, 2007

Congressman Zach Wamp announced that two volunteer fire departments in Tennessee’s Third Congressional District will soon be able to better serve their communities. The Lakeway Central Volunteer Fire Department in Jefferson County and the Speedwell Volunteer Fire Department in Claiborne County were awarded grants to purchase new equipment from the Assistance to Fire Fighters grant program from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“The volunteers at the Lakeway Central and Speedwell volunteer fire departments serve their communities with dedication and pride,” said Congressman Wamp. “The fire departments will now be able to provide much needed equipment for volunteers, allowing the fire fighters to respond to emergencies more quickly and be better protected as they help save lives.”

The Lakeway Central Volunteer Fire Department will be able to replace its old tanker truck through a vehicle acquisition grant. The former tanker truck was a converted tanker built by members of the department by mounting a gasoline tank on a 1984 vehicle designed to transport beverages. This truck is 23 years old, has a mileage of more than 320,000 miles and is not in safe driving condition.

The new truck meets all fire fighting safety standards, will have seat belts and automatic transmission, which will increase the department’s response time and ability to safely and efficiently respond to emergencies in Jefferson County. The fire department covers 27 square miles and serves 5,000 residents by supporting Jefferson County’s E-911 Program. The Lakeway Central Volunteer Fire Department also provides secondary support to several other volunteer fire departments.

The Speedwell Volunteer Fire Department in Claiborne County plans to use its operations and safety grant for an on site cascade system, which will allow the fire department to fill its air bottles that help fire fighters breathe in a hazardous environment. Having a stationary system at the fire department will eliminate the need to take the air bottles to another location to have them filled.

The Speedwell fire department will also purchase four sets of turnout gear that are specifically engineered to protect firefighters in many hazardous environments. This gear includes helmets, heavy fire fighters’ coats and pants, boots and gloves.