A retired Masset fire truck is getting a second life with a volunteer fire department more than 1,000 kilometres away, for the price of one dollar.

Masset council voted Aug. 17 to sell a 1997 GMC 7500 fire truck to Scott Holden, who is purchasing it on behalf of the Gold Bridge Volunteer Fire Department in the B.C. Interior.

Holden told the Village in an Aug. 13 letter that the truck will be donated to the Gold Bridge department at no cost.

For the small community, the truck will be more than just another piece of equipment.

Holden wrote that efforts to establish a fire department in Gold Bridge had stretched back roughly 30 years. For many years there was little interest, although he served as acting fire chief and held annual practices for residents.

That changed after the Gun Lake wildfire threatened the community in 2023.

Holden said he acted as fire chief and incident commander during the emergency and helped organize efforts to protect the town. After the immediate threat passed, he again began working to establish a volunteer fire department. This time, with younger residents getting involved and the wildfire having demonstrated the risk facing the community, interest grew.

“We are a department starting from nothing and rely on donations to make this work,” Holden wrote, adding that the Masset truck would be a major asset for the community.

The truck leaving Masset is one of the Village’s aging pumpers. Earlier this year, staff reported that both Masset Volunteer Fire Department pumpers were 29 years old and needed replacement because their pumps no longer passed inspection and could not be restored.

The 1997 unit identified in earlier Village records as Pumper 2 is a five-seat truck with a 1,000-gallon-per-minute pump and an 800-gallon water tank. Staff reported it had several mechanical and equipment issues, although it had passed its annual commercial vehicle inspection.

Masset has meanwhile been working to replace its aging fire apparatus, including pursuing a used certified pumper as an interim replacement while the department plans for newer trucks in the coming years.

For Gold Bridge, the old Masset truck now gets another chapter