New Fire Rescue Truck
(Jasper, Indiana) – The Jasper Volunteer Fire Department took delivery of their new Fire Rescue truck on Friday, July 28. This unit is the most-used vehicle in the department inventory and will replace the current Squad One on virtually all runs. Squad One has been in service since 1995.
The new unit is a SVI Heavy Duty Rescue built by SVI (Super Vacuum Manufacturing Inc.) in Fort Collins Colorado. The new Rescue 1 has a vehicle strut system for stability in overturned vehicles, improved lighting, additional tools, and other new technology needed at emergency scenes. This apparatus cost $ 577,796.07.
The Fire Rescue will be placed into duty at Jasper Fire Station 1 on East 6th Street with the current Squad One being kept as a back-up at Fire Station 2 in the Holy Family neighborhood. The Fire Rescue will be formally dedicated in front of City Hall at 6:30PM on Wednesday, August 23. It will be debuted in the Strassenfest Parade on Sunday, August 6.
Jasper is served by a volunteer fire department comprised of up to 40 members and led by Chief Kenny Hochgesang, who is the one paid department member and who also serves as Jasper’s Code Enforcement Officer. Through the strength of these volunteers, Jasper has earned an Insurance Services Office (ISO) Rating of 4. This rating is used to determine property insurance rates for citizens and businesses. ISO rankings are between 1 and 10 for each department -- 1 being the best and 10 being the worst. The Jasper Volunteer Fire Department makes over 300 runs annually.
