Fentress County will soon have extended fire protection from a new tanker truck.
Fentress County Executive Jimmy Johnson said the state funded a $263,000 grant to the community to purchase the truck. It will be housed in Jamestown’s Fire Unit One to serve the entire county.
“It will be used on fires to supply water to our other trucks that are on the scene at that time,” Johnson said, “We’ve got units that are in the outskirts that there’s always a major need for water because the water flow could be low or there could be something happening.”
Johnson said the centralized location will help firefighters across Fentress County. The tanker can access any part of the county’s 36-mile radius quickly.
That should improve insurance rates, Johnson said, as the county will undergo an inspection in 2020.
The county will match the state’s community block grant with some $36,000 in money to pay for the tanker. Johnson said the next step will be finalizing the purchase.
“Hopefully, we will have it by the first of the year, no later than March,” Johnson said.
