The Tecumseh Fire Department has said goodbye to one of its pumper trucks.
The town is giving the truck to St. Clair College for its pre-service fire program, to help train the next generation of firefighters.
A ceremony was held Tuesday where Mayor Gary McNamara handed over the keys to Lido Zucaato of St. Clair.
“Tecumseh recognizes the importance of supporting our local and regional community,” said McNamara. “Many of our fire fighters came through the St. Clair College program and by providing this truck to them, it means that our future fire fighters will be trained on a former Tecumseh truck. That is a legacy we fully support.”
The truck is a 1990 Spartan pumper fire truck that has outlived its use as a front line pumper for the town. It still has several years left as a training vehicle for students in the program to learn how to drive and operate this type of large vehicle.
“It is so very fitting that this generous donation is occurring at the outset of international fire prevention week,” said Patti France, the president of St. Clair College. “By providing St. Clair’s pre-service firefighter students with the opportunity to be trained on such modern equipment, Tecumseh fire and rescue services is ensuring that the next generation of this integral profession will be well versed in both combatting and preventing fires.”
Members of the Tecumseh Fire and Rescue Services volunteer their time with the college as members of the steering and advisory committee. Tecumseh’s fire tower, smoke house and confined space training facilities are also used by the college for training purposes.
The truck was originally purchased by Tecumseh in 1990.
