HIGHLAND LAKE, NY — Aided by a contribution from Millennium Pipeline Company, the Highland Lake Fire Department recently procured a six-wheel utility terrain vehicle (UTV). It has now been equipped with accessory tools and is ready for service.

According to department chief Warren Wagner, the UTV, designated as 69-50, will be used in forestry and rescue work.

Wagner said it took a long time to find the right vehicle. They searched high and low for a used vehicle; in the rare times one became available, it was snatched up before the department could act. The unit purchased was owned by a fire department in Pennsylvania and was for sale because they were downsizing their department.
The UTV was purchased in like-new condition and came with a trailer that will be used to transport the machine to the site of a fire or search. The manufacture of the particular type of machine of interest to the department had been discontinued so finding a gently-used machine was the goal.

Jim Wilson, construction manager for Millennium Pipeline, was on hand to celebrate with members of the department. Wilson said the company is glad to donate to fire departments, ambulance corps and other volunteer first-responder organizations in towns through which its pipelines run. The line that runs through Highland begins in Steuben County and ends in Rockland County. The Highland Compressor is one of five along that route. The original right-of-way utilized by that pipeline dates back to the Rockefeller era when oil was transported by means of wooden pipelines.

Millennium contributed more than 90 percent of the cost of the UTV. “It is our pleasure to help keep the communities safe in which we operate,” said Wilson.