The new fire engine for Edinburgh Fire and Rescue.
Submitted photos
EDINBURGH — Edinburgh Fire and Rescue has updated its look with a new fire engine and rebranded logo.
In the fall, the fire department received the new 2024 fire engine it bought for just under $700,000 this summer to replace an old vehicle, said Justin Lollar, Edinburgh’s fire chief. Alongside the new engine, the fire department also updated its logo which will tie in the town school’s mascot and colors.
Lollar said the new engine will be certified to run on fire and EMS calls and will replace a 1995 vehicle that will stay as a reserve truck.
“It was just time with the hours that we’d had on the engine and everything on the older one, it’s just kind of showing its wear and tear and just needed something that’s going to be more dependable for us going forward,” Lollar said.
The new fire engine has more compartment space to hold the increased amount of equipment firefighters carry and a low-profile hose bed that is more easily accessible. It also holds 1,000 gallons of water.
The fire engine will join the department’s collection of apparatus, including an aerial ladder and pumper tanker. With the engine purchase, Lollar said the department bought a lot of components to go on the new truck, but some items will be moved over from the reserve truck.
“This new one is pretty special to us … (It’s) been 30 years since we’ve had a new fire engine,” Lollar said.
With the new truck, Lollar said the department wanted to bring and push forward something new for the department. The logo rebranding process began when Capt. John Henderson was chief prior to Lollar. The new logo features a knight on a horse, which is known as the Edinburgh Lancer, and incorporates the school colors, which are red and black.
“Edinburgh’s a big community atmosphere and we have a good connection with the schools, do stuff with them, partnerships and stuff,” he said. “So just kind of that sense of pride, just tieing all that community feel in is what kind of spurred it.”
Lollar also said some students have an interest in participating in training classes and getting involved with the fire department.
“So just trying to make that connection because a lot of us … graduated from school here and went into the fire service field,” Lollar said. “So just trying to reach out and extend that, and try to bridge that. Maybe show those kids that avenue of the profession and career field that we have to offer and maybe leave that as an option for them going forward.”
The new logo was created by Jeremy Kidwell from Pop Print Company in Nineveh, the individual who also designed the graphics on the new fire truck. Lollar said it will be on new vehicles moving forward, including the new fire truck, and the ambulances may be brought into the rebranding in the future.
Although Lollar said the department might incorporate the new logos onto the uniform, he said some of the parts of the logo would be difficult to stitch. In the future, he said they might tie the logo into station wear or civilian shirts.
The new colors are a transition from the yellow apparatus the department has had in the past and the phasing to more of a red and black theme is more customary for fire apparatus nowadays, Lollar said.
