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People Who Make
a Difference
Volunteers Help VFD in
Tennessee
by Dean Jacques
In national
politics and the media,
it is fashionable to talk about morality, volunteerism and good will,
but we see very little on the national scene.
Not so in Portland. You can’t find a better example
of the ripple effect that comes from caring than right here in town.
Four years ago,
a group of five men with common interests started an organization called
the East of the River Classics. They collected fire department
memorabilia, mostly from tag sales. Not just your usual collectibles,
like figurines or old photos. No. They collect actual fire equipment and
even fire trucks! That’s right. They presently own 17 fire trucks!
Bob Baines, Joe Carlson, Skip Petris, Robert
Oakliff and Sal Pitruzzello had no idea what incredible philanthropy
would result from their group’s interest.
To make a long story short, the men of the East
of the River Classics learned about the plight of some fire fighters
in a town called Holladay, Tennessee. The volunteers in Holladay were
struggling against hopeless odds to modernize their fire equipment. They
were using outdated rubber safety coat. One of their emergency vehicles
is a 1976 rusty pick-up truck, with a 150 gallon tank attached to it.
Their pumper is a 1963 C950 Ford. It’s highest speed is 54 mph.
Holladay, Tennessee is an economically depressed
community of 3,000 people, whose medium income is about 15,000. The majority
of the residents are elderly on fixed income. They have about 15 volunteers,
most of whom are husbands and wives. Their county gives them $4,000 a
year, which barely covers their insurance. Construction of their firehouse
was stopped when the money ran out, leaving a shell of a building. Most
of the equipment fire fighters in Connecticut take for granted, cost way
beyond their financial means to afford.
The situation was so bad, that the volunteers
of Holladay were not allowed to attend Fire School, because their equipment
was so sparse and primitive, they did not qualify to attend.
Not long ago, a fire in Holladay resulted in
the deaths of 3 children. Fire fighters committed themselves to making
sure that such a tragedy never happens again.
When they found out about East of the River
Classics, they expressed an interest of taking any equipment that
the group wanted to get rid of.
Well, that request really got the ball rolling.
The Portland Volunteer Fire Department got word of what was going on and
quickly joined in the effort. Before long, Glastonbury got involved as
well. Word spread, and other towns became involved, as well as private
industries.
What happens to old fire equipment that has been
replaced by newer versions? It is either sold at auction, stored away
to be forgotten, or thrown out. Well, much of what is replaced in this
process is far better than what they had in Holladay, Tennessee!
To see the list of equipment already sent to
Holladay is really impressive.
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Glastonbury
VFD -- 1977 FMC fire truck.
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East
Hampton VFD – regulation coats, gloves, 35 foot ladder, extinguishers,
boots.
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Westfield
VFD – coats and pants.
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Uncasville,
Mohegan VFD – nozzles, foam applicators, booster hose and reel,
and miscellaneous equipment.
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Watertown
– Indian pumps, fittings and caps.
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New
Hartford FD – power units, 2 Indian pumps. Fittings, air pack
parts, 2 hoses.
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CVH
– coats, pants, warning lights, extinguishers, helmets, air packs,
air bottles, rakes, brooms, boots.
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Northeast
Utilities – 4 self-contained breathing apparatus units.
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ERC
– 200 foot booster hose, stainers, suction devices, air pack boxes,
Indian pumps.
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Arbor
Acres (Glastonbury) – 250,000 gas furnace.
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Bob
Ziegler approached the private sector to solicit more supplies,
resulting in Pfizer donating 9 used air packs, upgraded to
today’s standards.
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Perhaps
most amazing of all when word of mouth reached a Lowes building
supply outlet in North Carolina! They contributed building
supplies which allowed the construction of the fire house to be completed.
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Jim
Lynch decided to go even further. Using the Internet, he helped
the Tennessee fire fighters to apply for grants, finding the grants,
and filling out the applications.
The most recent success, however, was the joint effort of Portland
and Glastonbury to purchase a 1977 Spartan pumper fire engine for
their friends down south! They used money they gathered from fund-raisers.
Truly the culmination of a long, incredible assistance effort.
With 19 people completely outfitted, with usable,
updated equipment, Holladay, Tennessee now has a viable volunteer fire
department, thanks to the guys in the East of the River Classics,
the Portland Volunteer Fire Department, and scores of other concerned
people!
Jim Lynch explained why so much effort came naturally
to everyone involved:
"All volunteer fire fighters are brothers.
We all share common goals, and look out for each other’s best interests.
It’s as simple as that."
Simple, yes. But also generous and noble as well
– an example for us all.
Space would not allow us to mention all the people
who were involved in this great endeavor. It is a long and complicated
story. Suffice it to say that the donated items are merely a partial list.
Indeed, people in Hampton, Connecticut have outreached to towns along
the eastern part of the state, and are rounding up and forwarding more
supplies as well.
What’s that old adage? One good deed deserves
another! What better illustration than this?
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