By By Adam Prestridge
Good deeds do pay off.
Just ask Atmore Fire &Rescue Department chief Gerry McGhee.
After the department's 1972 Ford fire truck's motor blew, McGhee sent out a plea for help to neighboring Florida. Last week, he received a call informing him that the Brent, Fla. Volunteer Fire Department was willing to donate a 1981 Mack pumper truck to Atmore.
"It's a big help," McGhee said. "I appreciate Brent Fire Department and Deputy Chief Brent Sanders, who put it out on the air in Pensacola that we were looking for a truck. We have good working relationships with Walnut Hill, we help them and they help us."
For years, Atmore has provided mutual aid to Walnut Hill, Fla. and other communities located on the Florida state line.
"I talked to the chief about this and he said this is a very good truck," Atmore Mayor Howard Shell said. "And it is very generous of them to donate to us. They had previously been offered a monetary amount for the truck by another department."
Shell recommended to the council that the City of Atmore donate $5,000 to the Brent Volunteer Fire Department for their generosity, which was unanimously approved.
"The truck's in good shape," McGhee said. "It's a pretty nice truck."
Once the truck rolled into the Atmore fire station, fire personnel stocked it with equipment to have it ready to respond as soon as possible.
"We already had equipment to put on it, but we plan on purchasing some more to equip it with."
Atmore firefighters had the opportunity Sunday night to break in the new pumper truck during a massive truck fire in the Days Inn parking lot.
"We laid the line with it Sunday night," McGhee said. "That was the first time we used it. It worked well for us."
As for the old 1972 Ford McGhee doesn't know what will become of it.
"I'm not sure what the mayor and council plans to do with it."