For the past five years, Niverville’s Fire Department has dreamed of purchasing an air bottle fill station. This summer, due to a surge of local support, that dream has become a reality.
The purpose of an air bottle fill station is to fill Self-Contained Breathing Apparatuses (SCBA), something Niverville’s volunteer firefighters have never before been able to do onsite. In fact, the current arrangement had them driving all the way to La Broquerie to get their tanks filled.
Until now, efforts to raise the necessary $40,000 have fallen short. At the start of 2015, the department was still only halfway to their goal.
However, the funds began to flow in the spring.
The fire department was selected to be the beneficiary of this year’s annual Niverville Community Health Foundation banquet on April 30. At the event, the Health Foundation donated $5,000.
After this, the floodgates opened. BSI Insurance came forward in April with a $2,000 donation of their own. Country Snacks stepped up next, hosting a May fundraiser that netted another $2,000.
In June, the department was given the opportunity to purchase the air bottle fill station at a discounted rate. With the help of a loan from the Health Foundation, the fire department ordered the compressor.
In the coming weeks, the community continued to come through. Wm Dyck & Sons held a fundraiser event on June 27, with the staff cooking hot dogs and hamburgers and selling raffle tickets. Niverville Bigway generously donated all food for the event. The final haul was in excess of $9,000.
In July, the staff and board of the Niverville Credit Union presented the fire department with an additional $5,000 gift.
The department is pleased to announce that the air bottle fill station has now been paid in full, several years earlier than originally expected. They wish to extend their gratitude to everyone in the community who has contributed to this important project.
