January 31, 2001 Westover Air Force Base
Last February Town Meeting voted to donate two fire trucks to Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The donation came about when the Rotary Club of Hingham asked Chief Blye of the Easton Fire Department had any equipment that could be donated to Honduras. The Country was in desperate need of fire equipment it had just suffered through a devastating hurricane that killed over 5,000 people and over $3 billion in damage.
The trucks a 1966 Mack Pump and 1969 Pirsch Ladder have been in storage. The delays in transport were due to the Honduras legislature exempting the Honduras Rotary Club from paying the import tax on vehicles and the inspection by U.S. Customs required before any vehicles or equipment leave the country. The final hurdle was securing a free flight.
On January 31, 2001at Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee the trucks were loaded on an Air Force National Guard C-5 Galaxy for a seven hour flight. Below are pictures of the trucks being loaded.
(click on images to enlarge )
