State Fire Marshal Butch Browning is commemorating the anniversary of 9/11 by seeking donations to construct a museum to house the “Spirit of Louisiana” fire truck that was built by donations and sent to New York following the attacks.
“We set out to raise money shortly after the attacks in September to build this fire truck. I think our goal was about $250,000. The reality is, we raised about $1.1 million,” said Browning.
Browning hopes that same spirit of giving will occur in funding this project as the truck has a history of not only serving the people of New York but the people of New Orleans.
“The ‘Spirit’ actually worked for many years in New Orleans while they rebuilt their fleet of trucks that were damaged in Hurricane Katrina. We did send it back for a stint in Long Island, New York, following Superstorm Sandy,” said Browning.
A GoFundMe campaign has been created so anyone can make a donation of any size. Browning says he expects the construction of the building to begin around the holidays.
“We’ve already conducted our groundbreaking. Our goal is $400,000 and we believe we can reach that goal within the next two and a half to three months. The building is already designed,” said Browning.
The truck was built in Holden at Ferrara Fire Apparatus. The museum will be built next to a 9/11 memorial at the Fire Marshal’s office in Baton Rouge.