Goshen VFD To Receive Funds for New Fire Truck
A federal grant is giving the Goshen Volunteer Fire Department a chance to improve its service to residents. The department received word this week that it is receiving a $285,000 FEMA grant to help replace a 40-year-old fire truck.
“We applied for this grant approximately six to eight weeks ago. The grants were put in place to help prepare the volunteer fire departments, more rural fire departments, give them the same equipment that some of these municipalities have to help battle fires,” Goshen Firefighter Darren Jordan said.
Jordan says the purchase wouldn’t be possible without the grant.
“It’s something, when you go to thinking 285 thousand dollars with a town that operates off of a budget of somewhere around $100 thousand dollars a year, it’s practically impossible to fund that type of purchase through the town and what we get with tax dollars,” Jordan said.
The current truck carries 750 gallons of water. With the grant, the department is hoping to invest in a truck that carries double that amount.
“Us being able to carry this extra water, it could be the difference in saving somebody house and us sitting there and watching their home burn,” Jordan said. “When you’re sitting there in a position where someone’s asking you to do something, and you cant, you don’t have the water capacity to do it, it leaves you in a bad position and I hope this alleviates that problem.”
A bid war could take place in the coming months, as firetruck constructors will be vying for the department’s business. For now, the volunteer firefighters are thankful they have the funds to better serve Goshen residents.
The investment is now in the hands of a committee, made up of town leaders and firemen to make sure the money is well spent. If everything goes according to plan, the department could have its new fire truck within eight months to a year.
