By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
County commissioners court members took a short break during their most recent meeting to check out a brand-new brush truck expected to expand the capability’s of the county’s fire department.
The commissioners and County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. trooped outside to the county parking lot where County Fire Chief Jerry Rust had parked the new vehicle during the court’s Feb. 14 meeting.
Afterward, Owens thanked the court for working together to purchase the brush truck.
“We just went outside to look at a fire truck we’d ordered over two years ago. When we first started with that, there were funds we’d set aside, basically out of the general fund, capital, in order to buy the truck,” Owens told the court and audience.
He said additional funds to purchase the truck were obtained through the efforts of the family of County Commissioner Pct. 1 Martin Wardlaw.
“There was a pipeline that came through. and I want to thank George Wardlaw (Martin Wardlaw’s son) and Martin Wardlaw, because they put us in contact with this company and after about three or four months, George was able to secure $75,000 for the county. That check was given to us a little over two years ago, and it had been sitting in the account in order for us to help pay for this truck,” the county judge said.
Owens said the total bill for the new truck was $252,000.
“In visiting with Jerry and some of the commissioners that have been here for a long time, I don’t think we’ve ever had anything like this, so I want to thank the court and I made this comment to Commissioner Flores yesterday, as much crap as we get thrown at us because we have differences of opinion up here, I will say that the good really does outweigh the bad when it comes to this court,” Owens said.
“I do want to thank George Wardlaw for helping us get the $75,000 toward the purchase of this truck, and I want to thank the court for allowing the money to be spent for it,” the county judge added.
Rust said the new truck will provide a versatility of firefighting capabilities for his department.
“This truck is a combination structure and wildland. It can do both, and it’s going to enlarge our ability to combat structure fires and wildland fires. It’s very good. Up here at the front (of the truck) it’s got wildland nozzles and on the bumper, and this compartment is full of (equipment) to get into a house,” Rust said as he pointed out various features on the new truck.
“This is something we’ve been waiting on for a little over two years,” the fire chief added.
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