POLICE ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA 21 CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. - Charlottetown Police Services has upgraded its fleet and saved, literally, a truckload of money doing it. City police recently found out the Charlottetown Fire Department was in the process of upgrading its own fleet and was looking to decommission a fire truck. So, the police department suggested rather than getting rid of the vehicle why not give it to them and have it repurposed. “The suggestion came up that it would certainly be a great replacement for our emergency response vehicle,’’ said Sgt. Chris Watts. “Our support vehicle, which is used for lots of various activities in the department, was getting a little long in the tooth. It was still functional, but this is definitely an upgrade.’’ So, the ownership of the vehicle was transferred from the fire department to the police force. Then came the task of rebranding the large vehicle from fire department red to the white and blue colours of the Charlottetown Police Services. That’s when a community business stepped in to help out. “Through the generous benefactor services of Superior Sanitation, they took care of the cost of painting the vehicle for us at their shop. We put the (police) decals on, but they did the paint transformation . . . which was a massive undertaking. “It’s something that I’m not sure would have fallen under the constraints of our budget limitations.’’ Watts said it was all done for a minimal cost. The cost of a new vehicle of that size would have been into the six-figure range. “It’s huge,’’ Watts said of the cost-savings to not only the police department but to the city corporation. Dave Stewart (dave.stewart@theguardian.pe.ca) As originally published: March 23, 2019 Charlottetown police repurpose old fire truck to use as new support vehicle “BEFORE” - This Charlottetown Fire Department truck is shown before being refurbished and equipped for the Charlottetown Police Services. - contributed PANS in the community Charlottetown Police Service “AFTER” - Sgt. Chris Watts of the Charlottetown Police Services stands with the ‘new’ police support vehicle which was formerly used by the Charlottetown Fire Department.With the help of a Charlottetown business, the vehicle was repurposed for police purposes - Jordan Fillmore photo continued
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