---
title: "A Beacon of Hope: The Story of Banner Elk's New Fire Truck"
description: Banner Elk's new fire truck, donated by Princeton, NJ, symbolizes resilience and community strength following Hurricane Helene's devastation. Discover how this generous gift impacts the town.
image: https://blog.govdeals.com/hubfs/GD-BLOG-1280x720%20(5).png
---

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# A Beacon of Hope: The Story of Banner Elk's New Fire Truck

[ By Ashley Fox, ](https://blog.govdeals.com/author/ashley-fox)  December 10, 2024

![](https://blog.govdeals.com/hubfs/GD-BLOG-1280x720%20(5).png)

A Resilient Town

As I approached the Banner Elk, North Carolina Fire Department, a shiny red truck caught my eye. Two men stood beside it, their remote control in hand, gazing up with wide smiles. This must be the place, I thought.

A group of spectators grew as [Banner Elk](https://bannerelkfire.org/) just received a 1999 Pierce Dash Fire Truck and they were thrilled. The firefighters climbed onto the chassis, familiarizing themselves with buttons and controls, excited about their much-needed new addition.

Just two months earlier, Banner Elk had been ravaged by the devastating Hurricane Helene, a storm of unparalleled ferocity. Torrential flooding and violent winds created chaos, presenting challenges that most firefighters are fortunate enough never to face. Despite being cut off from the outside world, Banner Elk Fire Department, made up mostly of volunteers, worked tirelessly to secure their community, helping wherever and however they could.

On the day of the delivery, [Chris Lassiter and I interviewed Banner Elk’s Chief Tyler Burr and the Assistant Chief Will Treen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q-mmseGXW4), hoping to learn more about their department and how this truck could serve them. Tyler and Will opened up about the realities of their struggles and their pride in the Banner Elk community.

Chief Burr stated, “I cannot say enough about what [the residents] have done for their community. To see a bunch of 18-19-20-year-olds, selflessly stay behind when the rest of the town is evacuating and they are doing larger than life actions, truly saving lives and then we're all sleeping on the floor in the dirt, and we get up and we do it again.”

![truck](https://3282063.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/3282063/hubfs/1-Dec-06-2024-06-12-14-2941-PM.png?width=1200&length=1200&name=1-Dec-06-2024-06-12-14-2941-PM.png)

****Princeton, New Jersey donates a 1999 Pierce Dash 75' Snozzle Squirt Fire Truck to Banner Elk, New Jersey****

![truck](https://3282063.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/3282063/hubfs/3-Dec-06-2024-06-14-10-3010-PM.png?width=1200&length=1200&name=3-Dec-06-2024-06-14-10-3010-PM.png)

Chief Tyler Burr and Assistant Chief Will Treen Inspect the new truck

![team](https://3282063.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/3282063/hubfs/10-Dec-06-2024-06-15-42-0268-PM.png?width=1200&length=1200&name=10-Dec-06-2024-06-15-42-0268-PM.png)

A portion of Banner Elk's Fire Department as well as GovDeals Representative Chris Lassiter (Far Left)

![damage](https://3282063.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/3282063/hubfs/18-1.png?width=1200&length=1200&name=18-1.png)

Damage from Hurricane Helene

![house](https://3282063.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/3282063/hubfs/24-1.png?width=1200&length=1200&name=24-1.png)

Damage from Hurricane Helene

![car](https://3282063.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/3282063/hubfs/19-2.png?width=1200&length=1200&name=19-2.png)

Damage from Hurricane Helene

![bricks](https://3282063.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/3282063/hubfs/27.png?width=1200&length=1200&name=27.png)

Damage from Hurricane Helene

![Supplies](https://3282063.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/3282063/hubfs/26-1.png?width=1200&length=1200&name=26-1.png)

Supplies

![A look inside the Banner Elk Fire Department](https://3282063.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/3282063/hubfs/5-Dec-06-2024-06-19-07-6517-PM.png?width=1200&length=1200&name=5-Dec-06-2024-06-19-07-6517-PM.png)

**A look inside the Banner Elk Fire Department**

![hats](https://3282063.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/3282063/hubfs/6-Dec-06-2024-06-16-35-3551-PM.png?width=1200&length=1200&name=6-Dec-06-2024-06-16-35-3551-PM.png)

**A look inside the Banner Elk Fire Department**

![suits](https://3282063.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/3282063/hubfs/4-Dec-06-2024-06-17-13-2400-PM.png?width=1200&length=1200&name=4-Dec-06-2024-06-17-13-2400-PM.png)

**A look inside the Banner Elk Fire Department**

![15-3](https://3282063.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/3282063/hubfs/15-3.png?width=1200&length=1200&name=15-3.png)

Banner Elk Volunteer Fire Department 1965

 

A Good Deed

Soon after Hurricane Helene, [Fire Chief Adam Kooker of** **Princeton, New Jersey](https://www.princetonnj.gov/223/Fire-Department) was going through his normal surplus process of preparing a fire truck to be sold to the public and felt compelled to act. Initially, Princeton planned to sell the truck through GovDeals. But when they expressed interest in donating it, Scott Pearlman, who represents GovDeals in New Jersey and Chris Lassiter, our North Carolina representative, discussed and discovered an agency in need. Chief Burr was in disbelief. Numerous offers to help came to Banner Elk recently and it was hard to manage the influx of interest in their town. The Chief was happy to receive the call but was hesitant to believe the good news. Little did he know that Princeton was determined to expedite the transfer of their trusted truck to its new home.

GovDeals stepped in to facilitate the transportation of the fire truck down to Western North Carolina. Scott Pearlman, our New Jersey representative, worked with Princeton on logistics, securing a driver to deliver the truck on site as soon as possible.

Coming Together

To our surprise, there was an added benefit from Princeton’s donation to Banner Elk. Assistant Chief Will Treen shared that the new fire truck will “have a huge impact the next time we rate for insurance. That's going to help not just us with firefighting capabilities and performance, it's also going to help out the taxpayers, the business owners, the homeowners. So, it's really more, more than just a win for us. It's a win for the entire community on a multifaceted level.”

The truck is a 1999 Pierce Pumper with a 75-foot aerial waterway. It provides the unique ability to operate as an engine, so it’s able to deliver water to difficult-to-reach or elevated areas when needed, which was the missing piece of Banner Elk’s fleet of rescue vehicles.

As I thought back to our conversation, I realized it was more than an interview; it was a heartfelt reminder of the resilience of the human spirit. When adversity strikes, we are reminded of our strength.

We celebrate the generosity of Princeton, New Jersey as well as the resilience of Banner Elk and the surrounding areas affected by Hurricane Helene. We are honored to have been a small part of this donation.

 

If you would like to help those affected by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, [visit here.](https://www.ncdps.gov/how-to-donate)

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