Amherst Fire to donate fire truck

The Amherst Fire Department is donating a older fire vehicle to the Lovingston Fire Department.

The Amherst vehicle, a 1974 engine, was tentatively scheduled to be handed over this month to Lovingston firefighters, said assistant chief Blake Robertson.

Lovingston has two stations –– the main facility in town that houses four vehicles, two engines, a tanker and a squad truck; and another that serves Norwood and Wingina, which houses two engines and a brush truck.

Both of the Norwood-Wingina engines carry 500 gallons of water, and the donated truck will carry 750 gallons, said Lovingston fire chief Milton “Tiney” (pronounced teenie) Harris.

The “first in” vehicle must carry enough water to fight fires until backup units arrive, he said, and so the Amherst vehicle increases that capability.

The Amherst vehicle also runs on diesel, and with it, Lovingston firefighters now will replace their last gas-running vehicle and have an all-diesel fleet, Harris said.

Lovingston firefighters respond to an array of calls, such as structure fires, vehicle accidents and brush and chimney fires, Harris said.

The Amherst vehicle will enable them to begin discussions with Gladstone firefighters about whether it can effectively help them in “dual response” areas, in which more than one fire department responds to an emergency.

Lovingston is Nelson County’s oldest fire department, established in 1947.

Others, in order of when they were established, are: Piney River; Faber; Gladstone; Rockfish Valley; Wintergreen; and Montebello.

Amherst firefighters are raising money to buy a new pumper. The cost is $500,000 and the vehicle will enable firefighters to carry more water and a foam that helps extinguish fire and heat more quickly. The pumper also will enable firefighters to respond with more water to a fire in which neighborhing departments respond to simultaneously.

The town has provided $50,000 for the new Amherst pumper, and the county provided $100,000.