According to a report from The Altoona Mirror, the Claysburg (PA) Volunteer Fire Company (CVFC) has raised about $260,000 from 125 donations in its efforts to purchase a new fire truck more than three months after its previous truck, a pumper, broke down.

The CVFC’s initial plan was to borrow $200,000 from the state, which would have resulted in a 25-year loan, but the enthusiastic response from the community resulted in the department not needing that much money after all.

Rich Allison, head of the CVFC’s Fire Truck Fund Committee, said that the money raised leaves the CVFC about $100,000 short of its goal of the $360,000 needed for the replacement truck, but the Claysburg community has far surpassed expectations throughout the fundraising efforts.

Since early January, the CVFC has been responding with a borrowed truck. Allison said it will take eight to nine months to receive the new vehicle.

The CVFC has gotten an incredible response from the the community during the fundraising effort, as businesses and residents have come together in support of the fire company.

Multiple businesses that did not wish to be named, donated amounts in the five-figures range, as much as $20,000, Allison said. The company even received a $50 donation from 10-year-old Isaiah Snyder, who collected cans to raise the money himself.

The post Community Comes Together to Help Claysburg (PA) Department Replace Broken Down Pumper appeared first on Fire Apparatus.

PHOTOS: Miraculously only two people suffered minor injuries during a crash that cut a vehicle into two pieces in Kent Thursday evening. Firefighters and medics were called to the scene at 112th Ave SE and SE 240th Place around 9:45 p.m., according to Pat Pawlak with Puget Sound Fire. There they found a vehicle whose back third had been seared off during the impact.
- PUB DATE: 4/2/2021 6:55:34 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000

Each of the past three years, Washington Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz has asked state lawmakers to proactively fund wildfire response and projects to make forests less susceptible to wildfires in the first place. While the two previous proposals she pitched looked to pay for the large financial ask with a fee on insurance policies, Franz says this go-around she chose a different tactic.
- PUB DATE: 4/2/2021 1:02:53 AM - SOURCE: The Inlander

A fire near the old drill tower for the Austin Fire Department spread to the tower itself on West Cesar Chavez Street in downtown Austin Thursday night. The Buford Tower was built in the 1930s, according to the Texas State Historical Association, and stands about 67 feet tall. Originally called “The Old Fireman’s Practice Tower,” TSHA says it was used as a training facility for local firefighters.
- PUB DATE: 4/2/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KXAN-TV NBC 36 Austin

First responders using the FirstNet network, which is provided by AT&T, will get access to AT&T’s 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) network starting this month. AT&T calls this service “5G+,” meaning users get higher speeds than the 5G offered on low-band spectrum. First responders in parts of 38 cities and more than 20 venues will get access to the AT&T mmWave (5G+) spectrum this April; they also will continue to get the always-on priority and preemption across LTE – Band 14 spectrum plus all of AT&T’s commercial LTE spectrum bands.
- PUB DATE: 4/2/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fierce Wireless