In November, a Neodesha, Kansas gas plant explosion shook the entire town. It also threw firefighter Landon Woodward face first into the side of the engine.
It took crews from 22 fire departments bring the blaze under control.
While Woodward came away from the fire relatively unscathed, the engine he hit didn’t fare so well, KSN reported. After months of scraping together enough money to repair or replace the rig; in the end, they finally got their new rig.
Eleven sets of damaged turnout gear also has been replaced, although the chief said he is still trying to replace damaged boots and hoses.
But the new equipment is a reminder of the close call Neodesha firefighters had.
“You count your blessings,” Woodward told KSN. “(That is) the first incident I should have been dead in.”