The Walpole Island Fire Department’s new utility terrain vehicle was put to the test over the weekend.
Fire fighters responded to a brush fire late Saturday night. Crews arrived to find a large fire and redeployed to Tecumseh Road near Aquash Lane to set a controlled back burn and manage the flames’ path.
Officials say the tactic allowed for the protection of a hydro pole, removed the fuel for the flames to jump, and the blaze was extinguished.
The UTV, nicknamed Brush #1, was acquired by the fire department earlier this fall with the help of Indigenous Services Canada through the Wildland Urban Interface Fire Protection grant.