“This is not just a red machine going to Haiti.  It is hope that we are bringing to the island of Haiti,” was the way Pierre d’Haiti of Haiti-Works, Inc. described it as a pumper truck decommissioned by the Bridgeport Fire Department left the city on its final call,   leaving Bridgeport for Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee, Massachusetts,  for a trip on a military transport plane and its ultimate destination of Petion-Ville,  Haiti.

The 1982 Mack fire engine had been used as a spare until last year, when it was taken out of service.  Though most spare equipment is auctioned off,  the Bridgeport City Council approved an ordinance allowing the department to donate equipment to countries in need.

Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch said the city is proud to send the still-serviceable apparatus to a country in need.

(Courtesy Bridgeport Fire Department)

(Courtesy Bridgeport Fire Department)

(Courtesy Bridgeport Fire Department)