Manila firefighters recognized

Manila volunteer firefighters and family members were recognized Monday night, Oct. 17, with an appreciation dinner hosted by Manila Mayor Wayne Wagner and members of the city council.

Manila city council and members of the fire department are pleased to have a new fire truck on board. Pictured are city council members Dale Murphy, Donnie Wagner, Tony Hawkins, Linda Donovan, Larry "Whiz" Davis, and Jason Baltimore. Also pictured are Manila Mayor Wayne Wagner, Fire Chief Keith Bennett, Assistant Fire Chief Woody Nunnally, and Assistant Fire Chief Wes Sandusky. (Town Crier photo/Revis Blaylock)

The fish fry, held at the Manila fire house, gave the department a good opportunity to display the new fire truck.

Fire Chief Keith Bennett said the new truck arrived this summer and is built with the newest NFPA safety standards. It has a 1,000 gallon tank and pumps 1,250 gallons per minute.

"The Jaws of Life are preconnected and this will save time when we are working a wreck," Chief Bennett said.

The Manila Fire Department in black and gold lettering represents the school colors and the official Manila Fire Department patch is also displayed on the truck.

"The truck was purchased with the assistance of a $50,000 grant from USDA," Chief Bennett said. "The total cost of the truck and equipment is $299,000 and we appreciate the city's support in providing this state of the art equipment for the citizens of Manila. This helps us do our job. I also want to thank former Mayor Clifford Veach who was in office when the truck was approved and ordered. It took nine months for the truck to be built and delivered. Equipment included is eight new air packs, four sets of turn-out gear, and 22 new fire helmets."

The truck was built by Pierce Manufacturing and purchased from EVS Midsouth of Memphis.

"This is a great addition to our fleet," Chief Bennett said. "This will give the city service for a long time to come. I also want to express our appreciation to the citizens of Manila for the support they show to the fire department. There have been a lot of updates in the last two years and the residents will continue to see progress in the department with better training, better equipment and better response."

Mayor Wayne Wagner expressed his appreciation on behalf of the city of Manila to all of the volunteer firefighters.

"We have the best fire department in the state," Mayor Wagner said. "They do a great job and we appreciate each one of them. Manila has had an outstanding volunteer fire department my entire life and they continue to get better."