BATON ROUGE, La. (WGNO) — 20 years ago, after 911, a caller to then-governor Mike Foster’s radio show suggested the state build and deliver a new fire truck for the New York Fire Department which was devastated by the attacks. Within weeks, the state raised the donations to build and deliver the Spirit of Louisiana to the people of New York City.
Four years later, when Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of the New Orleans Fire Department’s equipment, New York City returned the favor and returned the Spirit of Louisiana to the city.
Now the truck’s fire fighting days are over, and there’s an effort underway to build a new home for it where people can learn about the truck’s inspiring history.
The project will cost an estimated $400k. State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says his office has collected about $100k.
If you’d like to help, visit the Spirit of Louisiana’s FaceBook page.
For more information on the history of the truck and the effort to build it a new home, click on the video at the top of this story.