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A NEW fire engine was purchased by the Greater Kokstad Municipality in an effort to reduce response times to fires in Kokstad town and surrounding farms.
On Tuesday, the keys for the new fire engine were handed over by Greater Kokstad Municipality mayor Bheki Mtolo to the supervisor of Kokstad firefighters, Thomekile Ngodwana, while other councillors and staff watched on.
Mtolo said the fire engine will improve the services of the department.
“We bought this fire engine after we noticed that there was a need for it — Kokstad always experiences lots of fires during winter,” said Mtolo when he test drove the fire engine.
The engine, which can hold 3 000 litres of water, comes equipped with the Jaws of Life that can be used to rescue trapped accident victims.
Previously, there were only two fire engines in Kokstad.
The first was primarily used to respond to house fires and can hold over 5 000 litres of water. The second was for responding to house fires and also grass fires.
Ngodwana thanked the municipality for the new fire engine, adding that Kokstad firefighters are now equipped to respond to any kind of fire.
“We work closely with Ixopo and Mount Ayliff firefighters for backup and this new fire engine will help us to deliver proper services to the community,” said Ngodwana.
Last weekend, there were no grass fires reported around Kokstad.
