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Valentine's Day came early for the Tullamore Rural Fire Brigade with the arrival of a new Category 1 fire tanker.
Its volunteers can now fall in love with this modern appliance, equipped with more advanced technology and larger water capacity.
It proudly replaces their 2001 Isuzu which has served the community with dedication and reliability for many years.
The new truck rolled into town on Friday, 13 February with RFS Mid Lachlan Valley Team operational officer Scott Baker handing the keys over to captain Max Davison.
"We extend our sincere thanks to all past and present members who operated and maintained the Isuzu - its contribution to protecting Tullamore will not be forgotten," Mid Lachlan Valley Team shared on Facebook when announcing the news.
The new tanker will enhance Tullamore firefighters' operational capability, ensuring they can continue to respond quickly and effectively to incidents across the district.
Among its key features is a bullbar-mounted monitor that's operated from within the cab via joystick control, enabling firefighters to undertake fire attack from a safe distance.
It has grassland monitors in the crew protection area, allowing crews to operate from the rear of the appliance without needing to manually hold a hose, as the monitor operates on a swivel mount, and it includes enhanced crew and vehicle protection systems across the vehicle.
Its water capacity has increased to 4000 litres, compared to 3300 litres on the previous appliance, and electric hose winders have been fitted to both rear hose reels.
Tullamore wasn't the only brigade in the Parkes Shire to receive a new truck of late, with Mickibri Rural Fire Brigade welcoming a new Category 6 fire tanker in December.
Mr Baker officially handed the keys over to captain Shane Green.
The Cat 6, which can hold as much as 9000 litres of water - compared to their previous 4000 litre truck - will be based along the new highway to increase the zone's firefighting capacity along the Newell.
