Some things are just too good to be true. That’s what was going through Fire Marshal Rick Krantz’s mind when he first heard that the City of North Charleston was retiring their fleet of “mini-pumpers” and was considering donating one of the small fire trucks to the College. “These vehicles are worth around $175,000, so I kept thinking there’s no way we can get this thing for free,” says Krantz, who worked for months to help the College acquire its new 1999 Ford F450. “In the end, we got a lot more than we’d ever bargained for.” The vehicle, which the College has owned since October, came complete with hoses (some donated by York County and the City of Charleston), axes, floodlights, ladders, a generator and a smoke ejector – about $13,000 worth of equipment in all. “It has all the bells and whistles,” says Krantz, unlocking the truck’s side panels to reveal compartments full of neatly labeled tools. “It carries everything we need – all we have to do is jump in and go. It’s easier for us to respond – which means the entire campus is a safer place.” And, really, it doesn’t get any better than that.

Pictured above (l–r): Fire Inspector Dave McDonough and Fire Marshals Rick Krantz and Tim Agee.