Corrales Fire Chief Anthony Martinez’s persistence paid off.
On Sept. 25, county commissioners approved a resolution to donate a decommissioned 2014 Ford F550 pickup from the county’s fire department to the Corrales Fire Department.
Martinez had his eye on this firetruck for nearly a decade, repeatedly requesting it over the years. When the truck was to be decommissioned, Corrales was prioritized over other departments due to the truck’s unique specifications and Martinez’s long-standing interest.
“It’s a fantastic truck that got specced out, and we’re really proud that you guys considered it to add to the agenda for approval,” Martinez told commissioners.
Sandoval County Fire Chief Eric Masterson told Martinez the vehicle was inoperable, but Martinez said, “Even though I have to invest in the repair and maintenance of it, we have 100% confidence that we’ll get it up and running and serve, hopefully, the village for the next five years.”
Sandoval County Commissioner Jay Block raised concerns with Masterson about ensuring a fair process for transferring decommissioned vehicles to other departments, given the limited resources available to some of the county’s rural fire departments.
Masterson told commissioners that Martinez asked “many, many years ago” before any other departments expressed interest.
“When it made it to the yard, it gathered some more attention from other agencies,” Masterson said, “but we had already talked to Chief Martinez about getting it to him.”
Sandoval County Commission Chairman David Heil asked Masterson to evaluate the quality of the equipment that the commission funds and provides to the Fire and Rescue Department for their operations.
“We get very lucky, Mr. Chairman, with grant opportunities and things of that nature for some of our fire apparatus,” Masterson said. “In fact, I want to say the last four or five pieces of fire apparatus we’ve received have all been grant-funded.”