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Cullowhee firefighters to get aerial truck
By Derek Hodges
Cullowhee firefighters will soon be able to reach new heights in protecting the area from devastating fires.
The state budget Gov. Mike Easley signed last weekend includes a $715,000 allocation for the Cullowhee Fire Department to purchase a platform truck.
The money was secured thanks to the work of Sen. John Snow (D-Murphy).
“Sen. Snow worked that through the General Assembly and now that money will be given to the University of North Carolina Board of Governors. It will then be transferred to Western Carolina University to be used as a grant for the Cullowhee Volunteer Fire Department,” Cullowhee Chief Richard Frady said.
The money will buy a 95-foot aerial platform truck and equipment that will allow the department to better manage fires in taller buildings. The department, which serves the WCU campus, has never had an aerial truck.
“Before now we have been unable to get to the third story. Now we should be able to reach the top level of any building on campus and in the community,” Frady said.
The truck will aid several communities in the area, since mutual aid agreements allow departments to share equipment, Frady said.
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