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Since Bill Killen took over as President of the Hawkins County Fireman’s Association, it has been his mission to help the volunteer fire departments of the county get newer equipment that had passed their useful lifespan.

Many of the volunteer fire departments have equipment that are 50 years old or older.

Recently, the Fireman’s Association met at the parking lot of Food Lion in Church Hill to receive delivery of a 2003 Freightliner Medic Master Ambulance donated by the Berwyn Heights, Maryland Volunteer Fire Department donated in September. A 1990 International Harvester pumper tanker was donated by DeMarr Construction, LLC, of Falls Church, Virginia this past December.

The 2003 Freightliner Medic Master Ambulance will be placed in service with the Hawkins County Emergency Response Team based in Rogersville.

“The donation was facilitated through Rob Locke, who was with the insurance department who insured the equipment there,” Killen said. “Scott went to pick the ambulance up and delivered it for the Hazmat team. This ambulance doesn’t pay attention to hills.”

John Murnane, of the Hawkins County Hazmat team spoke about the ambulance to be used by his team.

“It’s a big box and a bigger truck than your typical ambulance,” Murnane said. “We’re going to use it as a Hazmat truck. We’re going to convert it over, change some of the compartmentation and make it look like a passenger truck. We’re trying to replace a lot of older equipment we have. We’re getting to the point where we’re in much better shape.”

Murnane said that the Hazmat teams have trucks that were built in the 1978-1982 years.

“That’s what we’re trying to replace because we have rust issues, maintenance issues and things like that,” he said. “Some of these departments up north have been good to us and have helped us get along. It has certainly helped the departments around here, that’s for sure. I think we can make it work.”

The 1990 pumper tanker will be placed in service with either the Lakeview Volunteer Fire Department or the Goshen Valley Volunteer Fire Department. David DeMarr explained about the pumper tanker.

“It was sold by Highway Motors in Percyville, as a cab and chassis,” David DeMarr said. “LSI built the tanker. When they got the new equipment, the guys couldn’t drive a stick shift, so they used this one as a reserve. We needed something to clean the parking lots off with and we made an offer on it, which was accepted. What is so great about it is that it has a pump and roll. If you see the nozzle front there, they used to put in into deep reduction and shoot out 75 feet of water.”

The tank is a 2,800 gallon polyurethane tank, stainless steel wrap, a Caterpillar 3176 engine with 290 horsepower and Walker beam suspension. The tanker has only 51,000 miles on it.

“It has low gears in deep reduction mode,” DeMarr said. “We just used it to clean off a couple of parking lots and that was it. It had been sitting at the shop. I’m just tickled to death that you guys could use this thing. It’s in good shape for its age. I was the only one who ever drove it.”

Last year, an ambulance donated by the Spotsylvania Virginia Rescue Squad was converted to an air and light unit to provide air support on the fire scene and the College Park, Maryland Volunteer Fire Department donated a 1992 Spartan Gladiator Darley pumper replacing a 38-year-old pumper in service with the Goshen Valley Volunteer Fire Department.

DeMarr thinks that every teenager should join a volunteer fire department to get life experience.

“You meet some good people,” DeMarr said. “It made us what we are today.”

The Hawkins County Volunteer Fireman’s Association is the Primary Advocate for Hawkins County Volunteer Fire Departments and the Hawkins County Emergency Response Team. HCVFA Executive Board conducts administrative support services for VFDs and manages Workers Compensation and Accident Insurance Programs for volunteer firefighters. The Hawkins County Volunteer Fireman’s Association is the Primary Support Group for the Hawkins County Schools Fire Science Program.

To donate to Hawkins County Volunteer Fireman’s Association, send a donation to P.O. Box 444, Surgoinsville, TN 37873. For additional information, email hcvfa@earthlink.net