Members of the Mountain Park Rescue Squad are very excited about the addition of a 2009 GMC rescue truck, and with good cause. For the past five years, the squad held fundraisers and county budget funds in order to acquire the vehicle.

However, prior to the acquisition, a committee of rescue department members was formed to determine what was needed most to make this vehicle suit the needs of Mountain Park and surrounding communities. With that, the new medium rescue vehicle was custom-built to their specifications

“Quite a bit of thought went into the design of this truck. We went to seminars and compared other squad trucks,” said Robert Hinson Jr., chief of the rescue squad. “It took over a year from the time we started looking until we had it spec'ed like we wanted.”

The squad went with medium-duty versus heavy-duty truck, said Hinson, because it covered most everything to which the squad responds. Also, in situations that call for a heavier truck, one from Dobson or Elkin can be called. Even so, with Mountain Park’s vehicle, the squad can now meet rescue standards for the state of North Carolina, enabling members to perform bigger, heavier rescues.

The new truck can go off-road, which is suited for the up and down roads found in the Mountain Park community. Because the truck has more horsepower than its existing trucks, rescuers can maintain speed uphill, which was a problem with other trucks.

“It will give us faster response to the scene. Being equipped for medium rescue will help on larger and smaller accident vehicles,” said Hinson.

There are many technical and convenient features on the truck, but one in particular makes it unique to the county a feature no other rescue truck in the county has: a retractable 14 foot awning is located on the side of the truck, allowing shelter from the elements when needed, or providing a place to set up for a mass casualty situation. Another important feature is a 6,000-watt light tower that will provide bright lighting when needed.

“Before we had this truck, we had to use the headlights on the truck and tripod lights, which was very inconvenient and sometimes not enough light,” stated Hinson. “These lights light up the night like daylight and will keep you warm if you’re standing close to them.”

Other new technology on the vehicle includes a 20-kilowatt generator (compared to 10 kilowatts on other trucks). This allows the squad to run every electric-powered tool needed at once if needed. It also contains rollout tool trays that are especially handy for the rescuers. These drawers are designed to make tools easily accessible, organized and easy to find, another timesaving mechanism. A battery charger, located on the step of the driver’s side, keeps battery-operated tools charged and “ready to go.” At the same time, the vehicle doesn’t have to be running to charge them. The truck is four-wheel drive and boasts a winch that can be moved from front to back or placed on the sides of the truck.

The purchase expands the fleet.

“We’re keeping our other truck. We are in the process of converting it to a specialty truck for light rescues. It will be suited for mountain rescues, rope rescues, off-road and water rescues,” said Hinson.

The new truck recently performed its first official duty, leading the funeral procession of Mountain Park’s second rescue squad chief, John Mack Nixon. Nixon was a volunteer with the Mountain Park Fire and Rescue department for 16 years. The squad felt it fitting that the new truck honor his memory. Nixon was laid to rest at Union Hill Baptist Church in Thurmond, Sunday, March 22.