ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — The Rock Island Fire Department recently retired one of its fire engines with a simulated emergency vehicle accident, marking the end of nearly 20 years of service.
According to a Facebook post, Engine 32 had a cracked frame and failed an inspection and could not be resold or repurposed in any way.
With the help of Rock Island Public Works, the department used the engine for a unique fire apparatus extrication drill.
“E32 served us well for almost 20 years, saving countless lives and millions of dollars of property value,” the department stated. “She made the ultimate sacrifice to help us learn, just one more time before she went to her final resting place.”
Preventing and reducing fire apparatus crashes should be a leading initiative in all fire departments
Trending
The gunman drove a flag-bearing pickup into a Grand Blanc Latter-day Saints church, opened fire and started a blaze
How a simple question — “Can you paint our engine pink?” — led to a powerful campaign for firefighters
A falling tree struck the seasonal firefighter on the Tinker Bugs fire in the Nez Perce–Clearwater National Forests
A nickel-cadmium battery mixed into a 60-foot pile ilikely ignited a Springfield blaze, which took 4.5 million gallons of water and six hours to control
