Firefighting in the 21st-century involves more than dousing a blaze with water.

Local fire departments must train for a variety of fire and rescue situations. To prepare for multiple disaster scenarios requires education, practice and equipment.

To help address training needs, Mack Trucks recently donated a service cab to the Emmaus Fire Department.

According to Dan Miller, Mack Unit Manager of Custom Adaptation Center/Service Cab Operations in Macungie, a service cab “... is a cab the customer … can purchase for a truck that has been in an accident [in which] the cab [has been] totaled.”

Occasionally, cabs are built and then the customer cancels the order. If Mack is unable to sell the cab, it becomes a donation.

In this manner the Emmaus Fire Department obtained the new cab which will continue to be used for vehicle rescue and extraction practice. The cab, which arrived in July, has already seen service in a drill hosted by the Emmaus Fire Department and EMS team. Several area fire departments and EMS organizations responded to a mock motor vehicle accident. Future simulations involving the cab are planned.

For the residents of Emmaus and adjoining communities, Mack’s generosity, in combination with the dedication of local firefighters and EMS personnel, equate to more effective community service.