Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC) has donated a 2011 Ford F-550 crane truck to Little Fork Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company’s Technical Large Animal Rescue Team in Culpeper County, giving a familiar yellow utility vehicle a second career rescuing animals.
The four-wheel-drive truck, presented to Little Fork on Aug. 20 at REC’s Culpeper office, will be painted red and outfitted with emergency lights, a siren, radio equipment and Little Fork markings. But before that work could be completed, the truck was called into service.
Little Fork recently used the donated truck to help lift a 2,000-pound horse that had been trapped beneath boards in a run-in shed for several hours. The horse couldn’t stand on its own, so rescuers pulled it away from the shed and used the truck’s hoist to lift it safely.
“The operation was flawless,” said Doug Monaco, chief of Little Fork Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company. “This vehicle saved hours of work by being able to lift him up with the hoist.”
The donation began with a practical challenge. When a horse, cow or other large animal becomes trapped, injured or unable to stand, Little Fork sometimes needs heavy equipment to perform a safe lift. Without its own lifting vehicle, the team has had to rely on an available tractor or its portable tripod lifting system, which takes time and effort to set up.
REC’s Fleet team reviewed the request and identified the F-550 crane truck as a better fit than the larger digger derrick truck Little Fork originally had in mind. The donated truck is smaller and more agile, with four-wheel drive and the lifting capability the rescue team needs.
“It can get in little tighter areas than a big truck, much quieter for the animals, maybe keep them calmer,” said Mike Lee, Director – Fleet Operations and Services. “Plus, it has the crane, the ability to really do what they needed.”
For Little Fork, that capability can make rescues faster and safer for animals, crews and owners. The specialty team responds to incidents across Virginia and in neighboring states.
According to Little Fork, the team has rescued Virginia livestock valued at nearly $1.4 million since 2011. But the value of a successful rescue isn’t truly measured in dollars.
“The most rewarding thing about the large animal rescue team is that you’re helping people with what in their minds is probably the worst day of their life as far as their animal ownership,” said Mike Nason, Little Fork assistant chief for EMS and Technical Large Animal Rescue.
For REC, the donation means a useful vehicle can continue making a difference in the communities the Cooperative serves.
Once the truck is repainted and outfitted, those who see it in action may not recognize it as one of REC’s familiar yellow trucks. But as Lee joked during the handoff, there will still be a reminder of its first life underneath the new red paint.
“It’ll be REC yellow underneath.”
