A Piece Of 9/11 History Is Put To Work In Oklahoma

Thursday, May 3rd 2007, 5:00 pm

By: News On 6

All Oklahomans can feel a connection with the victims of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. Now, The News On 6â€™s Rick Wells reports a Muskogee County fire department has purchased a fire truck used in New York City on September 11, 2001.

"It drives like a dream. It's the best thing that could have happened in a small community with a small department," said Don Foster with the Council Hill Fire Department.

The department needed a pumper truck, so they searched the internet for months looking for one. They found one in Colorado and it arrived in Oklahoma last week, but the firefighters didnâ€™t know until the truck arrived that it was originally from a fire company in South Amboy, New Jersey, one of the many units that responded to the World Trade Center on 9/11.

"She's a sweet little truck," Foster said.

The truckâ€™s had some wear but the Council Hill Fire Department plans to make her look like new.

"Same lettering but in Council Hill, we'll recondition all the letters they're a little faded down and there's paint missing," said Foster.

Most of their other trucks are recycled from the Oklahoma Forestry Department, so they are thrilled to have the new pumper. The fire department can hook all their other trucks to the new one to give them more pumping power.

It's tradition in Council Hill to identify each truck with a cartoon character, Tweety, Sylvester, Taz, the new truck may become Scooby-Doo. In any case they've bought themselves a little piece of history, and theyâ€™re proud to have her.

"It'll never leave the department, ever," Foster said.

The Council Hill Department is having a fund raising brisket dinner on Saturday at 5 o'clock at the high school, so if you're down that way, they'd love to feed you and show off their new fire engine.

Watch the video: Green Country Welcomes Fire Truck That Responded To 9/11