Sarah Pledge Dickson, Mansfield et Pontefract
The Mansfield Fire Department unveiled its shiny new wildland rescue truck Saturday afternoon at an event attended by community sponsors and local elected officials.
The F-250 truck is equipped with everything needed to conduct rescues in the backcountry, including the ability to transport boats for water rescue and tow all-terrain vehicles used to reach emergencies in locations unattainable by road.
Mansfield fire chief Patrick Bertrand said this truck is important because it will take care of not only the Mansfield community but the entire Pontiac region.
“When it comes to wildland rescue, if somebody is on Pontiac territory, we’re automatically called by the Sûreté du Québec or the paramedics,” Bertrand said, explaining this new truck means firefighters will no longer have to use their personal trucks to tow other rescue vehicles.
“We were always worried that something would happen and insurance-wise, it could have gotten complicated,” he said.
The truck is equipped with two sirens, lots of lighting for rescues in the dark far from roads, and four-wheel drive to ensure it can travel across rugged and wet terrain.
It cost the fire department $140,000, an amount that has so far been funded largely through community fundraisers and private donations, including large contributions from the Caisse Desjardins des Rivières de Pontiac, Mansfield en fête, Shawville Ford, and many others. Currently, the truck is about 75 per cent paid off, according to Bertrand.
“We’re really proud to be a part of this,” the Caisse’s director general Stéphane Labine said in French Saturday. “When this project started in 2023, we realized it was not a luxury to have this vehicle but a necessity because of all the forests we have.”
The MRC Pontiac also reallocated an unused amount of $10,000 from its public security budget to the purchase of the truck.
“I know that the Pontiac is in good hands with the strong work done by the fire department,” Warden Jane Toller said in French at Saturday’s unveiling. “Your safety is our primary concern.”
Bertrand said he was worried about whether the fire department would be able to pay off the cost of the truck, but that the community’s support surprised him.
“We’re also involved a lot with the community,” Bertrand said. “So when the fire department goes out and asks for help from the community, they’re always there to support, which is really nice.”
Mansfield mayor Sandra Armstrong highlighted the importance of the fire department to the entire region.
“They serve the whole Pontiac and save lives, the firefighters are the heart of the municipality,” Armstrong said in French on Saturday. “They are there to ensure the safety of our citizens and we are very thankful.”