WINTON – Winton leaders inspected the town’s newest addition earlier this week.

Thanks to a $250,000 loan from USDA Rural Development, the town has a new fire truck.

“The first responders of all America must have the resources necessary to respond to emergencies and save lives,” State Director of USDA Rural Development John Cooper said.

USDA Rural Development provided a low interest 4.125 percent loan to the town of Winton for the purchase of the truck. The town is responsible for half of the loan and the Winton VFD is responsible for the other half of the loan.

“Rural Development provides low interest loans to assist rural communities in financing municipal buildings, fire, rescue and police stations, rescue equipment, medical clinics and daycare centers. USDA Rural Development’s mission is to deliver programs in a way that will support increasing economic opportunity and improve the quality of life of rural residents,” Cooper said. “We are committed to ensuring that our rural communities have the resources to provide the basic services that impact our daily lives.”

The pumper/tanker truck was manufactured by KME and was specifically designed for Winton. The truck has a four door cab with five seats and can hold 1,000 gallons of water. It has foam capabilities, a PTO Generator, which runs off the motor of the truck, and can pump 1,250 gallons of water per minute.

“The Winton Volunteer Fire Department was formed in 1949,” Winton Fire Chief James Broglin said. “Twenty-six members sold BBQ dinners to raise money. The first fire house was built in 1952 and the first fire truck was purchased in 1956.”

The Winton Volunteer Fire department averages 60 calls per year and their 22-year-old truck had become obsolete.

The Winton VFD serves a 55 square mile area in rural Hertford County and provides aid to eight other departments within Hertford and Gates County. The new truck will allow the fire department to improve their response time and improve insurance ratings.

“I am excited to see resources coming to this area,” Rueben Clayton, United States Congressman G.K. Butterfield representative said. “I am excited to be part of the process.”

“She is a beauty,” Betty Jo Shepherd, representative for U.S. Senator Richard Burr, said. “Northeastern North Carolina is very special to Senator Burr.”

“What we give to the federal government is coming back to rural North Carolina,” Janet Bradbury, representative for U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole, said. “This loan provides assistance to everyone in the community. Senator Dole supports the USDA Rural Development program.”

“I want to thank Calvin Askew from the local USDA office for his assistance with this project,” Cooper added. “These partnerships are very important and critical.

“Rural Development also provides loans to help families purchase single-family homes and we need to make people aware that we provide this type of assistance.”