"An Absolute Paradigm Shift" - DFD's Rescue Abilities Boosted By New Truck
Wednesday, March 4th, 2026
The Dalton Fire Department's abilities to perform rescue operations have been dramatically improved by the dedication of a new fire truck purchased with funds from the 2020 SPLOST. The new truck, which has been designated as Rescue 2, was dedicated in a brief ceremony at Station 2 on Wednesday afternoon.
"It's a ridiculous improvement in the (rescue) capabilities that are going to brought to bear out there in the street for the citizen, for the visitor, and for neighboring jurisdictions," said Deputy Chief Keith Dempsey. "Nobody outside of the metro area has one of these... it's an enviable position to be in."
The new Rescue 2 is a custom-built heavy rescue apparatus built by the Sutphen Corporation in Dublin, Ohio. The truck cost $1.1 million paid for by funds from the 2020 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST). The original project budget in the SPLOST was $1.6 million, and the excess funds were used to outfit with truck with cutting-edge rescue equipment that will give firefighters a much better chance to save lives.
Caption: In a nod to an old fire service tradition, Dalton firefighters push the new Rescue 2 into its bay at Station #2 on Abutment Road
"(Rescue 2) has given us an absolute paradigm shift in our technical rescue capabilities. It's not even remotely close to what it was before," Dempsey said. "In every technical rescue discipline, we've done a wholesale revamp of our rope rescue program. We have hardline communications for confined space rescues. We've got a complete new complement of structural and trench shoring tools for those type of incidents. Equipment for vehicle and machinery entrapment. We have enough water rescue resources now to be a freestanding FEMA Type 3 surface water rescue team... this rig, sitting here today, has become the envy of even the big teams in Metro Atlanta because we're equipped at or above what they're able to do."
"We're thankful to the voters for approving the SPLOST," Fire Chief Matt Daniel said, noting that funds from the 2020 SPLOST had already been used to purchase a new ladder truck in 2021 and new fire engines in 2022 and 2023. "What this does for the fire department, for the community is important."
Rescue 2 will replace the Squad 1 truck for use by the department's Special Operations Team and rescue teams. The department is working on plans to convert Squad 1 for hazardous materials responses.
"We're looking at turning that into a hazmat resource to extend the life of the truck and also the taxpayer dollars invested in it," Chief Daniel said.
Wednesday's ceremony included a nod to tradition, with firefighters gathering together to push the new Rescue 2 into its bay at Station 2. Before motorized fire trucks came along, fire departments used wagons pulled by horses. After each day, firefighters would push the wagon back into the fire hall together, and that tradition is still observed when a new truck is put into service.
