MOUNT VERNON â On Dec. 14, 1920, a shiny, new, red truck rumbled into Mount Vernon.
It wasnât Santaâs sleigh come to spread early holiday cheer, but was instead the newest addition to the Mount Vernon Fire Department â Skagit Countyâs first motorized fire engine.
âIt was something new and different than what a lot of people had,â said retired Mount Vernon firefighter Terry Hill.
On Dec. 14, 2020, with a fresh coat of wax, some new running boards and a few other improvements, the departmentâs vintage American LaFrance fire engine was rolled into its bay at the departmentâs LaVenture Road fire station, its home for the past three decades.
Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services recently donated two fire engines to Baker County at the Cherokee County Fire Training Center near Holly Springs.
The two vehicles given to Baker County, American LaFrance fire engines manufactured in 2000, are the last of six engines donated to other Georgia counties that currently have much older engines in their department.
âThese trucks are older trucks and we can no longer get parts for them,â Cherokee County Division Chief Dean Floyd said in a news release. âWe are also trying to keep our fleet in line with the requirements by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).â