WESTMINSTER, Maryland (WJZ) — Giving season is far from over for Reese Volunteer Fire Company, which is set to make a charitable donation for the greater good after a tornado devastated a fire station in Kentucky a few weeks ago .
Captain Ken Hyde Sr, spokesman for the Reese Volunteer Fire Company, said they had been trying to sell their fire engine, Engine 92, for the past six months. They had replaced the old engine, which held 1,000 gallons of water, with a newer model that held 2,000 gallons. No one was buying the device, so they decided to give it away instead.
The captain of Reese’s volunteer fire company said @wjz firefighters are a brotherhood, and if something like this happened to them, they would also want help @wjz pic.twitter.com/pLnx2SaP1d
— Rachael Cardin (@RachaelCardin) December 28, 2021
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“Once the tornado hit Kentucky, some board members started saying maybe we should do something else with it,” Hyde said. He made contact with a Fulton County Fire Chief, whose station was flattened in the storm, all vehicles crushed and destroyed.
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They discussed donating the truck, and the rest is history.
“We realize that the fire service is a brotherhood and if something catastrophic like this happened to us, we would hope that someone would help us in the same way and take care of our business in the same way that we were trying. to take care of Fulton’s. County,” Hyde said, as they prepared to ship the pump Thursday.
Other volunteer fire companies from across Maryland and one in Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania all stepped up to help make this donation possible. The truck will be shipped on Thursday @wjz pic.twitter.com/Ntu2NJlTAG
— Rachael Cardin (@RachaelCardin) December 28, 2021
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Local businesses and at least a dozen other volunteer fire companies all pitched in to help cover fuel, shipping and more. They will organize an end of the year party on Wednesday evening before the big departure on Thursday.
