PRESS RELEASE
MIDDLEBURG, Florida — Two new Clay County Fire Rescue (CCFR) trucks are officially in service: Fire Rescue 1 and Engine/Ladder 1.
To commemorate the occasion, Father Andy Blaszkowski, of St. Luke Catholic Church, offered to bless the trucks as fire chiefs and duty crews looked on. Children from Annunciation Catholic School’s 7th and 8th grade classes were also in attendance.
Engine/Ladder 1 brings significant capacity to Clay County because it’s a truck which can use its ladder to reach up to 75-feet in the air. It can act as both a ladder and an engine, which means it is fully stocked with advanced life support equipment and personnel. Engine/Ladder 1 is designed to respond to incidents inside multi-story developments, like the ones that exist in the neighborhoods this unit will be serving.
“This is a beautiful event to mark the achievement of obtaining these two new trucks,” said Acting Fire Chief David Motes.
“We’ve been working with the Board of County Commissioners throughout the past five years to put in place ways to meet the demand for service, which has been growing exponentially with the population,” he explained, “and this important milestone shows we will be there for you when you need us.”
Blaszkowski added, “It’s a great opportunity for us to come together, united in the name of God, to extend blessings upon the vehicles and those who will continue to keep us safe in the years to come.”
It is the first event of its kind for CCFR, although the fire stations obtaining a new truck will typically hold a “pushing in” ceremony. These trucks will be assigned to the new Station 1 on the land Clay County recently purchased, which is located just behind the St Luke Catholic Church on Old Jennings Road next to the Clay County Utility Authority Facility.
Until the station’s completion, Rescue 1 will be running out of Station 26 in Oakleaf, and Engine 1 will be running out of Station 14 in Middleburg. However, these units will have the flexibility to go to different areas where they are needed, so CCFR can ensure widespread coverage.
