A fire started on some grassland near a farm. The county fire 
department was called to put out the fire. The fire was more 
than the county fire department could handle. Someone suggested 
that a nearby volunteer bunch be called. Despite some doubt that 
the volunteer outfit would be of any assistance, the call was made. 

The volunteers arrived in a dilapidated old fire truck. They rumbled 
straight towards the fire, drove right into the middle of the flames 
and stopped! The firemen jumped off the truck and frantically started 
spraying water in all directions. Soon they had snuffed out the center 
of the fire, breaking the blaze into two easily controlled parts. 

Watching all this, the farmer was so impressed with the volunteer fire 
department's work and was so grateful that his farm had been spared, 
that right there on the spot he presented the volunteers with a check 
for $1,000. A local news reporter asked the volunteer fire captain 
what the department planned to do with the funds. "That ought to be 
obvious," he responded, wiping ashes off his coat. "The first thing 
we're gonna do is get the brakes fixed on our fire truck!"