Originally published in Lake of the Woods Area News, Volume 55, Number 2, Spring 2025
Thanks to generous community donations and fundraising by the Board of Directors and Firefighters, the McKenzie Clearwater Fire Department (MCFD) is the proud owner a new Ford 550 Rescue Truck, designated Rescue 65. It is equipped with Jaws of Life, medical rescue equipment, winches, supply bars and more.
There were many reasons to retire the old Rescue 65. It was a 1995 GMC 3500 diesel truck donated by Board Chair Rick Suche in about 2015. It showed its age with visible paint and rust issues. Even worse, it had electrical problems so was unreliable to start. In addition, over the 10 years of the truck’s service, the MCFD responsibilities had expanded widely from basic auto extrication to include ambulance assists, heavy auto rescue, and ice water rescue. The old rescue truck had run out of space for all the necessary equipment and as a result was overweighted. Finally, the MCFD needed the capability to tow its fireboat, Pumper 62 and its snowmobile, Rescue 63.
Rick recalls that, always careful with its limited budget, the MCFD Board originally planned to buy a new chassis for the existing body. However, with a 30-year-old body and the long list of deficiencies, the Board decided to prioritize the purchase of a brand-new truck. As they were able to buy a stock unit from Fort Garry Fire Trucks, delivery was only six months rather than two years.
The new Rescue 65 has had a huge impact on the Firefighters’ efficiency at calls. The unit almost doubles the capacity for equipment and weight the MCFD can carry with extra room for future service expansion. It features compartments with full slide out drawers for easy access to equipment from either side of the truck. The compartments also have 12v power outlets for the battery-operated tools now used by firefighters. There are 360-degree lights to effectively illuminate scenes.
Firefighter Bree Haney said, “The functionality of Rescue 65 is amazing. We each organized a section of it. I organized the medical equipment and laid it out from minor injury to major. We have a full section of auto extrication equipment, ice water, back boards, rescue sleds etc. The truck was a great purchase!”
In the MCFD deployment plan, Rescue 65 is used for medical calls and motor vehicle accidents. This includes all highway calls where visibility is critical for scene safety. At these rescue calls the Police, Emergency Medical Service (EMS) and MCFD work cooperatively. It is the Fire Department’s job to make the scene safe and to disentangle patients from damaged vehicles so that the EMS can treat and transport them.
Firefighters have noticed the critical advantage of on scene visibility created by R65. The large, red truck has a strong presence with lighting throughout the storage compartments and 360-degree scene lighting.
Rescuers can see and be seen. Another advantage appreciated by the firefighters is the full pull-out drawers. The drawers are better for the health and safety of firefighters because they are picking equipment straight from a slide drawer instead of reaching into a deep, dark compartment.
Firefighter Coral Johnson, said about the new R65, “I absolutely love it! It was a much-needed upgrade for our department considering how many medical calls and motor vehicle collisions we attend each year… Not worrying if the rescue truck is going to start and knowing you will be able to jump in and go, really helps our time efficiency.”
To support critical equipment purchases such as this, attend the MCFD Annual Firefighters’ Fundraising Dinner on July 5 at Ash Rapids. Go to mckenzieclearwaterfire.ca for more information.
