PRESS RELEASE
SWANTON, Vermount – In partnership with TDI Towing, Star Hose Company Inc. has purchased a new and versatile piece of equipment for the Swanton Village Fire Department. The cost of the new equipment, $19,750, was split equally between a generous contribution from TDI Towing & Recovery, and Star Hose Company, Inc. which obtained their portion of the funds through fundraising activities.
The new Argo Frontier 700 8×8 will provide the fire department with greater capabilities to respond to ice rescue emergencies on Lake Champlain, as well as in areas hard to reach with traditional vehicles, such as on recreation trails and in large fields or wooded areas. The new vehicle is amphibious, meaning that it has the ability to move on both land and in the water, a key factor for its use in ice rescue scenarios.
“Just this winter we have responded to incidents on the lake in which we did not have an exact location of the person that needed our assistance. This piece of equipment will allow us to significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to search for a missing person on the ice and return them to medical assistance on shore. In the event that the Argo encounters open water, or the ice fails to support the vehicle, it has the capability to float and maneuver in water. This makes ice rescue significantly safer for both our responders and those we are assisting,” said Daniel Chevalier, Chief of the Swanton Village Fire Department. “Its land capabilities mean that we have resources at hand to assist people lost or injured in the woods, on recreation trails, or in other hard to reach areas. The efficiency and safety of our responses will be greatly improved with this new equipment.”
Cody Giroux, President of Star Hose Company, said, “The firefighters on our department are tasked with responding to a variety of emergencies. Firefighting is no longer just about fighting fire. We’re fighting fire that burns hotter and faster than ever before with new materials introduced into homes that weren’t there 30 or 40 years ago, performing heavy rescue at motor vehicle accidents, providing response to hazardous materials incidents, performing open water and ice water rescues, searching for missing persons, and a variety of other emergencies that our citizens may encounter. We have to be ready for anything and everything. Our fire department strives to be a resource that our community can count on to assist them in a lot of different ways. Obtaining this equipment was important to our members who strive to constantly improve the level of service we can provide.”
The equipment was obtained from Franklin Rental Sales & Service, who lowered the sales price in order to support the Star Hose Company in its mission to provide this equipment to the fire department. Members of the fire department will immediately begin training on how to incorporate this new equipment into their responses.
The Swanton Village Fire Department invites the public to come see the new equipment at their station, 120 First Street in Swanton, on Monday April 15, 2024 from 6:30 p.m-7:30 p.m.
Star Hose Company, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to support the Swanton Village Fire Department through fundraising for equipment and other needs of the department. You can find them on Facebook at Facebook.com/StarHoseCo for more information.
