New Bothwell firefighters took turns earlier this week checking out the new truck parked in their hall.

A brand new, shiny, red rescue unit arrived Tuesday.

"The guys are super excited about this," says District Fire Chief Rob Hiebert.

(Hanover Reeve Stan Toews, Sea Hawk's Ben Vanderswaag and Hanover Fire Chief Paul Wiebe)According to Hiebert, their old truck is 19 years old and no longer serves the needs of the fire hall. He notes the new unit has many special features. It runs Jaws Of Life off the back of the truck, which allows firefighters to access both the right and left sides of an accident scene. He says most units are either portable or they are restricted to use from only one side.

Another special feature is the truck's side entry. Hiebert says they have six jump seats, enabling firefighters to face forward while travelling. The truck also has a telescopic light which can light up the scene at night. It has 120,000 lumens using LED lighting.

Hanover Fire Chief Paul Wiebe says the rescue unit was built by Acres Industries of Wawanesa and sold by Sea Hawk Specialized Truck Service of Carman.

"They've delivered something that is just a great unit," says Wiebe. "We're just very pleased to have it."

Wiebe says the truck cost them just shy of $375,000. It is funded through Hanover's Fire Protection Reserve Fund. He notes this is the last unit to be replaced in their 20 year plan, which started in 2000.

"The support we get from council and from ratepayers has just been fantastic," notes Wiebe. "We've always had councils, and our current council is no different, that have the foresight to see that these projects are not only needed now but to look ahead and plan for the future."

"We recognize that we are very blessed to live in a municipality like Hanover," adds Hiebert.

He says without the support of council, fire departments would have to do more fundraising for equipment; something he says happens more often in smaller municipalities.

According to Wiebe, the new unit should last them a minimum of 25 years. He says the old truck will either be sold or re-purposed within Hanover.