HERMITAGE Firefighters seek funds for truck

The fire department has already raised half the cost of the new pumper.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- The Hermitage Volunteer Fire Department is looking for some state help to buy a new truck to replace one being used in a small Oklahoma town.
The department recently sold its 1976 pumper to Professional Coach & amp; Equipment of Wichita, Kan., in anticipation of buying a new pumper.
The old unit ended up in the possession of the Fountainhead Area Fire Department in Checotah, Okla., said Robert Goeltz, Hermitage fire chief and city fire marshal.
It turns out it's the first real fire engine Fountainhead has purchased, Goeltz said, noting the truck's new owners sent the Hermitage volunteers pictures of the pumper in its new home.
Fountainhead had been using a 1950s-vintage truck with a portable pump as it primary piece of firefighting equipment and had to build a new bay on its fire station to accommodate the newer vehicle, he said.
New pumper: The new Hermitage pumper, a Pierce Custom Contender bearing a price tag of $207,000, is due to arrive here in July, Goeltz said.
The department plans to apply for a loan from the Volunteer Loan Assistance Program administered by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to help pay for it.
Goeltz said the department got $16,000 for its 1976 pumper and hopes to get half of the remaining cost of the new vehicle from the Volunteer Loan Assistance Program, which provides money at 2-percent interest for up to 15 years.
That means the department had to come up with about $95,000 to complete the financial arrangements and Goeltz said it already has the money.
Raising funds: The volunteers conduct fund-raising drives annually for equipment purchases and has money set aside for the truck purchase, he said.
There won't be any extra cost to outfit the new pumper with special equipment, he said, explaining that the department continually upgrades its truck equipment such as hoses, nozzles and ventilating fans and most of the material used on the 1976 truck will simply be transferred to the new unit.
He estimated its value at about $20,000.
Goeltz said each of the three Hermitage stations -- Highland Road, Patagonia and Mercer Avenue -- has the trucks and equipment it needs to function as an independent fire unit.