BATESBURG-LEESVILLE, S.C. — Residents in Batesburg-Leesville tell News 19 they have some concerns. This, after two of the three fire engines at the local fire department are out of service.
When you hear a fire siren, you know help is on the way.
Batesburg-Leesville fire chief Josh Frye said help is still on the way thanks to neighboring fire departments.
"Lexington County Fire Service has been a huge help in this. Saluda County has as well. We've reached out to both of their chiefs as soon as we found out the situation we were in," Frye said. "This just happened to be one of those cases where two things broke at the same time and we're responding to that."
The first part that needs fixing is the brake caliper on one fire engine. The second part, on another fire engine is the fuel injector.
Frye said the town's 1999 and 2007 fire engines suffered mechanical issues right around the 4th of July, so the department called their third party repair vendor.
"We reached out to them. They were set up to come down the week after the fourth to work on the brake issue and that is when the other truck broke just prior to them coming. They looked at both of them while they were down here. We had, once again, parts ordered for the truck with the brake issue that day. We're just waiting on parts to come in," Frye said.
Officials said the fire department's 1995 engine that remains is set to be replaced next spring.
Despite their worries, residents said they've placed their trust in local leaders.
"I'm kind of concerned about that … hopefully they should be able to rectify the situation. Hopefully soon," Robert Tolen, Batesburg-Leesville resident said.
"I just encourage people to be, to trust the department and trust the staff that we've got on hand that they're really going to do the best for our community and look after them," Jay Hendrix, interim town manager said.
According to the fire chief, these parts should be delivered tomorrow and Wednesday.