Louisiana Fire Truck Being Sent To Long Island

The truck is named the "Spirit of Louisiana," a name gained due to the time that the truck was built.

The truck's life began right after the September 11th attacks.  The funds for the truck were raised by the citizens of Louisiana to replace New York Fire Department equipment lost in the attacks.

The truck was given to the FDNY in December 2001, where it served in New York City for four years until Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of New Orleans and the gulf coast. It was brought back to it's home to help with Katrina efforts in Louisiana and served in New Orleans until 2010, when it was decommissioned after nine years of service.

The truck is coming back to life once again and being sent to New York after a request for support from the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) in New York. State Fire Marshal Butch Browning and Chris Ferrara, President of Ferrara Fire Apparatus worked with the NOFD Fire Chief Charles Parent to have the truck completely refurbished and transferred to the State Fire Marshal's Office to be ready for any more disasters, not just in Louisiana, but across the nation.

Fire Marshal Butch Browning said,

We are proud to be of help to our friends in New York as we have built such a family since 9-11. This fire truck was and continues to be our hands on the healing process.”

 

The truck left yesterday afternoon after coming out of retirement.