New fire truck arrives in Blackburn

From left to right, Blackburn Fire Chief Bill Kellerman, Joe Campbell, Kenny Fiene, Donald Rehkop, Danny Avera of Deep South Fire Trucks, Blackburn Fire Board President Charlie Bagnell, Dennis Zimmerschied and Lisa Pemberton stand in front of Blackburn's new fire truck on Tuesday, June 30. (Sydney Stonner/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

On Tuesday, June 30, the Blackburn Fire Department welcomed a new member to the force. A new tanker truck, built by Deep South Fire Trucks in Mississippi, arrived on the bed of a semi truck and was unloaded in front of the city hall.

The new truck cost a total of $106,000, though most of it was paid for through a grant from Federal Emergency Management Agency, fire chief Bill Kellerman said. Technically, the chassis of the truck is old, from 1994, though the rest of the vehicle is brand new.

Blackburn currently has two fire trucks, but the new addition will replace a homemade tanker truck. The fire department is composed of 16 volunteer fire fighters.

The new tanker truck for Blackburn's fire department is unloaded near city hall Tuesday, June 30. (Sydney Stonner/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Contact Sydney Stonner at marshallbusiness@socket.net