Tuscumbia Fire to add off-road capability

The Tuscumbia Fire Department is set to purchase a new piece of equipment that will expand their capabilities.

The Tuscumbia City Council voted unanimously during its Aug. 18 meeting to allow Fire Chief J.T. Fox to use funds from his department’s budget to purchase a new Kawasaki Mule side-by-side for $19,966.

“We have tried to get grants throughout the years for a side-by-side,” Fox told the Council. “We have had to borrow from the police department, or a lot of people will bring their personal side-by-side for festivals and events we have.”

Fox said his department has had several calls over the last year where their assistance was needed off the beaten path, and their trucks cannot go off road.

“We had one call where I had to go out with my firemen in my administrative car and take what little equipment we could to a grass fire at Spring Creek. It burned up several more acres than it should have,” Fox said.

“We have had several fire calls over the past year or so where we can’t take our trucks off road. We have had to call the forestry department. If we had the side-by-side, we would have been able to save a lot of property that was burned due to grass fires we couldn’t get to with our big trucks.”

Council member Katie Logan asked Fox if he had gotten any other quotes. He said he did not, because the unit he was requesting to purchase was what best fit the needs of the department.

Mayor William Foster clarified that the side-by-side would not just be for riding around during events, echoing Fox’s sentiment that the vehicle would play a necessary role in the department’s fire and rescue efforts.

Fox said next year he will be purchasing a skid unit and trailer for the side-by-side, which will expand its capabilities even further.

He said the vehicle will eventually have its own water, hose, winch, lights, siren and even the ability to transport patients.

“It will be like a mini fire truck,” Fox said. “We will be able to hook it up to our administrative vehicle and deploy it in situations where we can’t use our big trucks. With the kayak launch we have now (and other areas), if we have to, we can take that side-by-side off road, get to patients and get them to an ambulance. It’s a lot more than something to ride around in at events. It’s going to help out the community greatly in all aspects of firefighting.”