GREENSTONE — You might have seen a shiny new truck rolling through town with a familiar name on the side.
The municipality of Greenstone held a special dedication ceremony at Fire Station #2 in the Geraldton Ward where around 100 people gathered to see the Volunteer Fire Department’s newly-purchased pumper/tanker truck dedicated in honour of former municipal councillor, firefighter, and fire chief, John Marino.
Marino’s name is emblazoned just above the driver and front passenger’s side door handles.
The dedication ceremony was held on April 18, with Mayor James McPherson, several municipal councillors, members of Greenstone’s Volunteer Fire Department, and the Marino family in attendance.
Councillor Alan Oullet spoke to Dougall Media about Marino’s legacy in the community.
“John Marino had a long-standing relationship with the municipality of Greenstone and the Geraldton Ward – longtime Fire Chief and business owner. You couldn’t go into the hardware store without having a conversation with John. He was a delight to speak with.
"There’s not too many people that grew up in Geraldton who don’t have a story or good thing to say about John,” Oullet said.
The purchase of the new truck is in line with the Volunteer Fire Department’s ‘Fire Master Plan’ – which Adam Lopatka, director of fire services, discussed with Dougall Media in December – and the tribute to Marino adds a meaningful, community-oriented touch to this addition to their fleet.
Coun. Oullet said the new truck is “very needed.”
“The fleet is becoming aged, so it’s time to start – as we can – replacing them. We’ve been putting aside funds for quite some time to be able to acquire what we can. It’s been a long time coming.
"We need to start bringing things up to date. We have an abundance of calls in our area – for not only structure fires but also supports along the highway corridor and places like that. Bringing things up to date and having everything reliable and efficient is definitely a priority for us,” he said.
Along with the mayor and John’s wife and daughter, members of the fire department and municipal councillors helped “push in” the new truck – a ritual which dates back to the 1800s when firefighters had to manually push their equipment back into the station after responding to a call.
Today, the “push in” is conducted ceremonially in honour of those early crews and, in this case, in honour of one man’s impact on his community.
“John was really a delight to know, he was very active in his community. It’s a very fitting dedication,” Oullet said.
