Our Fire Department officially has a brand new, custom-built truck to help save lives in our community. The fully equipped new ride was made possible thanks to the voter-approved Special Purpose Local Options Sales Tax (SPLOST) .

Fire Station #2 on Monroe Street held a Dedication Ceremony on Monday, February 7 to welcome the 2021 Sutphen Pumper, and you can watch the full ceremony here.

“This is a new tradition for our Department. Our firefighters wanted to celebrate the arrival of our new engines and equipment,” said Fire Chief Shane Edwards. “It’s an honor for me to be standing here with our firefighters and getting this apparatus ready to serve and protect our community.”

This truck replaced a similar but outdated truck built in 1996. The new apparatus comes to Macon-Bibb after a year of custom building and inspections at Sutphen Manufacturing.

“This is a team effort to support public safety in Macon-Bibb County. I’m proud of the good work they are doing,” said Mayor Miller. “We are so proud of this, and I’m excited for the Fire Department.”

The fire team ordered what they needed, including size requirements, to make sure it would fit in the bay at the historic station. At the end of the build process, Fire Chief Edwards, County Manager Dr. Keith Moffett, and Training Chief Reco Stephens traveled to the manufacturing plant to inspect it and make sure everything was good to go.

You can check out their new ride in the video below.