The crew at San Diego's busiest fire station will ring in the New Year with a brand new fire engine thanks to a local businessman. KPBS Reporter Ana Tintocalis has more.
Station 17 displayed their cherry red fire engine in front of Jean Siegel's Del Cerro house. Siegel gave the station $200,000 to buy the rig and outfit it with the latest rescue equipment. The retired businessman says the station desperately needed a new engine.
Siegel: Their truck was bad, and the city is not in good shape and the fire department wasn't in good shape. So I thought I'd help out.
Fire chief Jeff Karle says the station's older truck will now be used as back-up if a major disasters hits like last October's wildfires.
Karle: There isn't a way to cut this without realizing how much of a true positive impact this is having on our fire protection capability in this city.
This is not the first time Jean Siegel has helped Station 17. In the past he's donated a brand new barbeque and refrigerator to make life easier at the station.
Ana Tintocalis, KPBS News.
