West Volunteer Fire Department Gets Fire Engine Donation
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - There's good news for firefighters working in West. The list of donations to the Texas town now includes a fire truck.
The West Volunteer Fire Department continues to recover from last month's fertilizer plant explosion. The department only had three vehicles and one of those was lost in the blast.
Fellow firefighters at the Berwyn, Pennsylvania Fire Company were devastated by news of the explosion at West that left 15 dead and hundreds injured. Rescuers there started trying to figure out a way to help.
Berwyn Assistant Chief Eamon Brazunas recalled the group there said, "Hey why don't we think about donating Engine 2-1?" Brazunas said the decision only made sense. "It's our oldest piece of fire apparatus here," he explained, and said that, "Previous to this disaster happening we already ordered its replacement and it's due in early fall."
♦♦♦ Click For Comprehensive Coverage of the West Fertilizer Plant Explosion ♦♦♦
Officials in Berwyn say the 1983 E-One/Ford C-8000 Engine is in good shape and was going to be retired to a training facility. "Based on the extraordinary circumstances down there we thought it would be better used and prudent to get it down to Texas to help these guys get back on their feet," Brazunas said.
In doing their research rescuers in Berwyn found out that the West Fire Department was established in 1894… the same year as theirs.
"Even if they can just use this truck for a year, it's worth it to us," Brazunas said. "We need to look out for each other. It was a no-brainer for us to do this."
The fire engine left the Berwyn Fire Company on a trailer semi Wednesday afternoon and is headed to the Payne Springs, Texas Volunteer Fire Department. The truck should arrive there by May 10 and workers there will complete the final prep work before the gift is delivered to the City of West in a few weeks.
"Whether you're a fire-responder or not, when you can do these things it's just nice to do it," Brazunas said. "Again, our hearts are with West and the people of Texas as they continue to recover from this thing."
The donation was made possible through a joint effort by the Texas A&M Forest Service and the Payne Springs Volunteer Fire Department.
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