ADA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — With just 7,000 miles on the odometer, it’s like a fire engine only driven to church on Sunday.
Ada Township’s new-to-them fire engine has a gently-used 2003 Ford chassis that was once the pride and joy of the Amway Corporations Fire Brigade.
The machine is not the size of the larger engines. But it will save a lot of wear and tear on the bigger, much more expensive rigs.
“It’s what they call a mini pumper. It’s got water on it, it’s got a pump on it. So it can do grass fires, smaller fires like that,” Ada Fire Chief Dave Murray said.
Along with small fires, traffic crashes and other emergencies, the addition of a trailer hitch allows it to pull the fire department’s new rescue boat.
“It will have all of the water rescue equipment on there,” Murray said.
Amway has had its own in-house fire department for years. But the company has decided to do away with that part of its Protective Services efforts.
The engine is worth about $55,000 on the used fire truck market.
“(With) the great partnership we have with the Ada Fire Department, it made it natural when we were looking at, ‘Do we sell it or do we donate it?’ We said, ‘Why not ask Ada Township if they’d like it,’ and they were receptive, and we’re very happy to have it be a part of the community,” Amway’s Susan Nemes said.
It’s not the first gift Amway has given to help Ada firefighters. Amway has given things like a filling station for air bottles in the past.
“We’ve trained over there. We’ve cut up cars with them. We’ve done aerial practice on their large buildings. For decades we’ve been partners with them,” Murray said.
The partnership now includes a much-needed set of wheels.
“It’s just an amazing gift and we appreciate it more than they’ll ever know,” Murray said.
Between the low miles and aluminum box, the engine should last the township at least 15 years.
The Fire Department is set to unveil its newest fire truck to the public at Ada’s Spring Craft Extravaganza, which will be held at the Amy Van Andel Library in Ada on Tuesday, May 2 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.