CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — To celebrate two new trucks to Clay County Fire Rescue, Fr Andy Blaszkowski of St. Luke Catholic Church offered to bless the trucks on Thursday morning as fire chiefs and duty crews looked on. Children from Annunciation Catholic School’s 7th and 8th-grade classes were also in attendance.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
According to Clay County, one of the vehicles, Fire Engine/Ladder 1 brings significant capacity to the county because it’s a truck that can use its ladder to reach up to 75 feet in the air. This means it’s equipped to handle multi-story building incidents if required.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
And not only can it fight fires. Fire Engine/Ladder 1 acts as an engine as well. It’s fully stocked with advanced life support equipment and personnel to deal with a variety of situations.
“This is a beautiful event to mark the achievement of obtaining these two new trucks,” acting Fire Chief David Motes said.
The two new trucks will also help meet the demand the county is experiencing in terms of growth.
READ: Clay County prescribed burn helps reduce destructive wildfires, other benefits
“We’ve been working with the Board of County Commissioners throughout the past five years to put in place ways to meet the demand for service, which has been growing exponentially with the population,” Chief Motes said. “And this important milestone shows we will be there for you when you need us.”
The county explained that this was the first event of its kind. Fire stations typically hold a “pushing in” ceremony when adding new trucks to the department.
READ: Camden County adds brand new fire engine to its rescue fleet
“It’s a great opportunity for us to come together, united in the name of God, to extend blessings upon the vehicles and those who will continue to keep us safe in the years to come,” Blaszkowski said.
According to the county, the trucks will be assigned to the new Station 1 on the land Clay County recently purchased. It’s located just behind the St. Luke Catholic Church on Old Jennings Road.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
However, until Station 1 is completed, Rescue 1 will be running out of Station 26 in Oakleaf, and Engine 1 will be running out of Station 14 in Middleburg. The county did say that both units will have the flexibility to be moved to different areas if there’s a need to do so.
1 of 7
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
