posted on Monday, May 1, 2017
Members of the Elma Fire Department recently realized a long-standing goal with the purchase of its new pumper truck. To complete the project, though, the department still needed to organize a fund drive for the purchase of equipment for the new truck such as hoses, nozzles and hand tools.
“The new pumper will have the latest technology and will allow us to perform more effectively,” says Fire Chief Scott O’Brien. “But in order to keep both the new and old pumpers fully furn...ished with essential tools, we needed the additional funds for equipment. There are so many things you have to update, and things are only good for so long, and everything is so expensive.”
One major contributor to the fund drive was Iowa Select Farms with a $5,000 donation from the company’s Community Care Grants program. “We were extremely fortunate to receive this grant and to also have other matched community funds,” says O’Brien. “The team had a goal of purchasing all of the equipment before the arrival of the new pumper and the Iowa Select Farms grant made our target goal a reality.
“Our volunteers have to meet the same standards and regulations as full-time firefighters,” O’Brien says in explaining the needs of the department. “So it takes a lot of training, money, and time from all of our volunteers.”
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