VFD continues fundraising to upgrade station
By Sam Waller
Albany Volunteer Fire Department is continuing its fundraising effort to upgrade facilities and equipment, not the least of which is this week’s delivery of a brand new 2022 Dodge Ram 5500 rescue truck.
Purchase of the truck was approved in March by Albany city council members, who also approved $45,000 of the cost to be taken from the “restricted fund” that is designated for fire department use with council approval. The rest was expected to come from donations.
Initially, AVFD Chief Joel Viertel and CaptainTravis Gardenhire had flown to Oregon to drive the $220,000 vehicle home.
However, less than 500 miles into the trip back to Texas, the transmission overheated because of a crimped transmission cooler line, and eventually, after a new transmission was installed, the vehicle was shipped to Albany at the dealership’s expense.
The diesel truck, which is replacing both a 1987 Chevrolet “brush/utility” vehicle and a 2005 Ford “rescue” truck, was unloaded in front of the AVFD station on Sunday afternoon.
Fundraising Effort
Last month, Chief Viertel sent out a letter detailing the department’s most pressing needs with a projected total cost of approximately $244,000.
At its June meeting, the Albany City Council had voted to allocate $43,000 from the “restricted fund” for refurbished breathing apparatus, nine new sets of bunker gear, eight sets of Tecgen rescue/wildland gear, and eight batteries.
“We would like to put that amount or more back into the account,” Viertel said. “And if we can collect $150,000 to $200,000, that would be great. That would cover most of our needs.”
Viertel said ensuring the department’s readiness becomes more urgent as the onset of hot, dry weather increases fire danger.
Money from the restricted fund is going for equipment like helmets, boots, gloves, radios, and self-contained breathing apparatus packs. Several items listed at less than $1,000 – fire rakes, vehicle tires, engine lights, and a reflective chevron – have also been ordered. The total for all was about $85,000.
Still to be funded are items such as materials to construct a tanker and brush truck facility, property purchase and slab, electric and gas lines and heaters, asphalt and crushed rock around station, replacement of a refrigerator in the station kitchen, and separate decontamination showers stalls and facilities for men and women. Estimates for those comes to just over $150,000.
In addition, inspection of Engine 3 is underway and expected to reveal the need for repairs, and that inspection is turning into more than $25,000.
Engine 2 will be scheduled for an inspection once Engine 3 is back in service.
“We still need $7,000 to complete Tanker 2 and $10,000 to replace old tires,” Viertel said.
He said if the needed funds were available, he could check off the majority of the list, but it would still be several months before all items could be acquired.
“The bunker gear (nine sets costing more than $34,000 total) takes eight months to get once it’s ordered,” he said. “That and Tecgen gear (another $6,700) have been approved and ordered, but it’s still got to be paid for. Basically, everything on the list needs to be paid for. We’ve received some donations, but we’ve got a long way to go.”
Tecgen gear is a lightweight, durable, single layer alternative to wearing full structural bunker gear for non-fire calls, especially in hot weather, the chief explained.
How to Contribute
To contribute to the department, Viertel said checks should be made out to the City of Albany with the memo of Albany Volunteer Fire Department.
“That will make sure the ladies in the office know that it goes to the department,” he said.
Contributions can be mailed to the department at P.O. Box 3025, Albany, Texas 76430 or sent to City Hall at PO Box 3248.
“I like when they come to me because I can see who donated and send them a letter,” Viertel said.
