Mt. Olivet firefighters proud of new truck, revamped facilities 10/1/2013

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Mt. Olivet firefighters proud of new truck, revamped facilities


By John Howell Sr.

Firefighters of the Mt. Olivet Volunteer Fire Department (MOVFD) were joined by family and friends Friday evening to view a one-ton, specially-built rescue truck just placed into service.

The 2006 diesel-powered Ford F550 rescue truck was purchased from the Homewood, Alabama Fire Department through an online auction, MOVFD Chief Gary Hartman said. The Alabama department declared the 53,000-mile-vehicle surplus after it made a decision to carry its rescue equipment on pumper trucks, he said.

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“It will enable us to be able to respond more efficiently,” fire fighter Bob Ford said.

By Friday afternoon, fire fighters had equipped the rescue vehicle with the “Jaws of Life” extrication device and with other tools for rescue. Firefighters opened doors to other compartments, now empty, where additional equipment can be stowed.

The truck replaces a 1996 Ford F-350. The new unit is designated Rescue Four and joins MOVFD’s Engine 42, Tanker Four which carries 2,000 gallons of water and Squad Four, a first response vehicle often used to suppress grass fires.

Chief Hartman said that the department currently has 16 volunteers on its roster. Hartman said that his job allows him to work at home, making him usually available during weekday alarms when most volunteer fire departments face manpower shortages because the volunteers are working jobs away from the district. The fire chief said that several volunteers who are retirees are also available to mobilize a prompt response by the department.

“We also rely on neighboring departments and they rely on us,” Hartman said. Adjoining the Mt. Olivet Fire District to the south is the Bynam Fire District.

The Coles Point and Sardis Lower Lake Fire Districts join Mt. Olivet to the north and the Batesville district joins the Mt. Olivet district at its west side.

The Mt. Olivet department has earned a class eight fire insurance rating from the Mississippi Ratings Bureau, the lowest rating among Panola’s non-municipal fire districts. The lower rating allows property owners in the district to purchase fire insurance at a lower cost.

Organized in 1973, MOVFD is the county’s oldest non-municipal fire department. Volunteers and friends have recently repainted the outside of the firehouse on Mt. Olivet Road near Highway 315 and mounted exterior lights on the building.

“We want to thank the county for paving our parking lot,” Hartman said. The newly paved surface between Mt. Olivet Road and the firehouse doors prevents runoff rainwater from entering the building during heavy rains, he said.

“God gets the credit for everything that has happened in the last few months,” Ford said, pointing to renewed interest by volunteers, the improvements that have been completed and the acquisition of the new equipment.

Friday’s firehouse gathering also included the erection in front of the building of a flag pole. The pole was purchased in memory of the late Mt. Olivet Volunteer Fire Dept. Chief Don Hall with funds donated by his widow.