FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – Howe Springs Fire Rescue in Florence will add three new engines to its force to help shorten response times to emergency calls.
These new engines will help accommodate the more than 1,000 calls a year the department receives. One of the engines to be replaced by the fire department is over 30 years old.
The new firetrucks will have covered compartments to keep the firefighters’ gear safe and will have larger water pumps for stronger output when crews arrive at a fire.
“The trucks have larger pumps on them to pump larger fires, so we don’t have to have as many pumpers there to provide the water that we did 30 years ago and we are carrying more water than we did 30 years ago,” explains Howe Springs Fire Department Chief Billy Dillon.
The Howe Springs Fire Department has been training on the new trucks to learn exactly how everything works. The updated trucks will address storage space and will cut down on time spent prepping for different rescue calls.
“These trucks are better setup and they’re all mounted,” describes Chief Dillon. “Each piece of equipment’s got a specific location. If it’s an automobile accident, you go to one side of the truck. If it’s a fire, you operate off the other side of the truck. So they’re very well organized.”
The Howe Springs Fire Department will hold a ceremony at 7 p.m. Thursday night at 2229 E. Howe Springs Rd. to officially add the new engines to the team.