Producer defends plan to buy fire trucks for Alabama towns

The Associated Press   

SCOTTSBORO, Ala.— A Hollywood producer who promised to buy fire trucks and other equipment for 10 Alabama towns denied backing out on the plan but said things aren't moving as quickly as he had hoped.

"I'm not a hoaxster," said Wayne Heyman-Hanks of LightForce Productions in North Hollywood, Ca. "Changing plans does not constitute the unraveling of the plans. The plan is moving, and I have no plans to cancel."

Speaking in an interview published Thursday by The Daily Sentinel of Scottsboro, Heyman-Hanks said business concerns and a break with his former business partner were behind both the change and a lull in communications with towns that are awaiting the equipment.

Heyman-Hanks, an Alabama native, offered last winter to donate two trucks to the Scottsboro Fire Department. He had also promised aid to departments in Anniston, Athens, Auburn, Boaz, Calera, Dothan, Florence, Hartselle and Jacksonville.

Heyman-Hanks said he grew up in Birmingham and lived close to a volunteer fire department as a youth. He said he liked firefighters and wanted to do something for them.

While officials with some of the towns were quoted earlier this week saying they no longer expected to receive the donations, Heyman-Hanks said he hoped to meet with fire chiefs from the 10 cities within four weeks to discuss the donations.

Heyman-Hanks said he contacted all the chiefs about possible delays shortly after companies he was involved in split up, and Scottsboro Fire Chief Melton Potter confirmed he talked with the producer about the problems in early July.

"It was a pleasant surprise hearing from him considering all the rumors we had heard," Potter said. "I'm happy we did."