No Black Stripes for HP Fire Engine
Sorry, Red Raider fans: Your team colors aren’t the winning combination for a new Highland Park fire engine.
A black and red color scheme presented to council members by chief Rick Pyle on April 18 appealed to town administrator Bill Lindley, a Texas Tech University graduate, but not to the Town Council.
Mayor Joel T. Williams III and other council members don’t want a fire engine that looks like it’s from Lubbock.
“That looks like a rock band is coming to town, like ZZ Top is in there,” council member Margo Goodwin said.
Goodwin and other council members like the look of the Pierce Enforcer 177 PUC fire engine the town is buying but asked that white be used instead of black on the paint job.
Town officials ordered the engine in January from Siddons-Martin Emergency Group and expect delivery of the red and white truck in December, Pyle said.
The $607,717 to purchase and equip the new engine came from the Equipment Replacement Fund. The town earlier added $403,000 to that fund by selling the old combination ladder truck.
Pyle explained the ladder truck was 14 feet longer than its replacement and wider too, making in difficult to maneuver on some of the town’s narrow streets.
“If you’ve got cars on both sides of the street, it’s like threading a needle,” he said.
When the new truck arrives, the town will have three engines and three ambulances in its fleet, Pyle said.
The town has agreements with the cities of Dallas and University Park to provide ladder trucks and other assistance when needed, he added.
The chief said the rejected black and red color scheme had been proposed by a Department of Public Safety committee led by Fire Marshal Mike Miller.
While red and white is a more traditional combination, many departments have been going with new looks, Lindley said.
