Community funded fire truck has arrived in Tignish

The shiny new tanker truck sitting in the bay at the Tignish fire department wouldn't be there without the help of the community.

"It was an Island-wide effort. I mean, we had support from one end of the Island right to the other end. It was unbelievable," said Fire Chief Allan Gavin. 

• Tignish Chase the Ace raised nearly $1M
• Chase the Ace Tignish, P.E.I., winner Keaton Noye draws lucky card to win $734K jackpot

Gavin said the tanker truck cost about $140,000. It was bought from a company in Moncton, N.B., and has been in service since mid-March. 

Gavin explained that about four years ago, the fire department partnered with the Royal Canadian Legion in Tignish to raise money through Chase the Ace. Over that time, about $550,000 was raised for the fire department to buy equipment.

Replaces 1999 truck 

The 2017 truck, equipped with a 4,000 gallon tank, is replacing a 1999 model that needed "quite a few repairs," he said.

"Things only last so long."

With the new tanker truck, the department's fleet now has five vehicles, including another tanker truck, two pumpers and a rescue vehicle. 

Gavin said that another vehicle in the fleet will need to be replaced in about eight years.

"That's something we're looking at. There's more of our equipment that's getting old and there's a shelf life to it. And, when you're dealing with somebody's life, once the shelf life is over, that's it — you throw it away and buy new," he said.

• MORE P.E.I. NEWS | Contest celebrates community builders on P.E.I.
• MORE P.E.I. NEWS | United Way coffers beefed up with Burger Love