According to a report from Hastings Tribune, the Hastings (NE) Fire and Rescue (HFR) welcomed members of the community at Highland Park Fire Station as it unveiled Brush 1, a 2020 Dodge Ram with four-wheel drive that features a water pump, a 300-gallon water tank, a separate tank with 10 gallons of firefighting foam, and other wildland firefighting equipment. The truck is a lightweight vehicle with off-road capabilities for attacking grass fires and transporting crews to otherwise hard-to-reach locations.
The vehicle also carries advanced life support medical equipment for its dual role as a paramedic intercept vehicle to assist neighboring departments with critical patients being transported.
Brush 1 was purchased for $120,000 in November 2020 as part of Hastings’ 2020-21 budget and was delivered on February 5.
HFR apparatus committee member Firefighter Josiah Young led the housing ceremony. He said it took around a year to to research and order the best vehicle with the capabilities HFR needed. After buying the chassis, the group worked with a company to outfit the vehicle to suit HFR’s needs as a grass fire and intercept vehicle.
After completing the ceremonial “push-in,” with members of the public helping to push the vehicle into the station, the public went inside to tour the vehicle as well as check out other HFR vehicles.
