Gary Sinise Foundation awards $104K to Maury County Fire Department

MAURY COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Starting next year, the Maury County Fire Department will have a new piece of equipment at its disposal after receiving a $104,295 grant from the Gary Sinise Foundation to buy a water rescue boat.

The 22-foot SJX water rescue jet boat is specifically designed to handle bodies of water with varying depths and shoals that other boats cannot handle. According to fire officials, not only does this boat feature a “310 HP Indmar, 2.3L Ecoboost Engine” — which is manufactured in Millington — but it will be equipped with recessed lighting in the bow for nighttime operations, as well a reinforced hull composed of an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene coating to endure the impacts of shoals and trees on the Duck River and other Middle Tennessee waterways.

Proposal has residents concerned for future of Duck River

In a video, the namesake of the Gary Sinise Foundation thanked Maury County first responders for their selflessness and commitment to helping their community.

“Hello, Maury County Volunteer Fire Department. Gary Sinise here. First of all, let me thank you for serving your community there in Columbia. I know you’re highly dedicated and you need resources to help you serve that community well, so it’s our pleasure at the Gary Sinise Foundation to provide you with this river rescue boat today,” the award-winning actor and philanthropist said. “Congratulations on that. This is a gift from the American people who support the Gary Sinise Foundation all over the country. They want us to take care of our first responders.”

The department said the SJX boat will increase safety for its personnel and decrease the regular damage sustained by prop and jet prop driven boats they currently use. The expected delivery date for the new boat — which is being manufactured in Idaho — is sometime in 2025.

Officials defend plan to pull water from Duck River

“On behalf of the Maury County Fire Department and the citizens of Maury County, we are extremely grateful to Gary Sinise and his foundation for the generous donation of this life saving rescue boat,” fire officials said in a statement released on Friday, April 5.

To learn more about the Gary Sinise Foundation’s efforts to honor veterans and first responders, as well as their families and those in need, follow this link.

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