By Christine L. Pratt
Daily Record
KILLBUCK — To replace a vehicle 35 years its senior, a new rescue truck rolled into service with the Killbuck Township Volunteer Fire Department on June 1.
Joining the department’s fleet this summer was the new truck, which replaces a 1975 truck that is listed for sale to other departments, according to Chief Keith Mohler, who said the truck will be on display during Saturday’s spaghetti supper at the station, which starts at 5 p.m.
By donation, families can enjoy a good meal, meet members of the department and check out the various equipment on hand. Proceeds from that and a euchre tournament, the buy-in for which is $1 a hand, will help generate funds necessary for additional equipment, said Mohler.
“You couldn’t count on (the old truck). It was hard-starting, cold-blooded,” Mohler said. “That’s not what you need with your No. 1 truck out the door for calls to injury crashes.”
The truck’s many compartments store not only hand tools, but hydraulic tools including the Jaws of Life, air chisels and airbags for lifting.
The new truck also hauls 300 gallons of water, 10 gallons of foam and has a front-mounted winch that can be moved to the back and used for stabilization of vehicles, Mohler said.
It cost the department $120,733 and is being purchased by virtue of a five-year lease-to-own agreement. All the funding came from the district’s property tax levy, and Mohler thanks the taxpayers, the township clerk and trustees for their help and support.
It’s now found a home among the department’s other vehicles -- an engine, a tanker, two brush trucks, an ATV 6x6 range vehicle, a boat and a squad.
Potential volunteers also may use Saturday’s dinner as an opportunity to talk with some of the department’s 19 members. With 16 firefighters, three EMTs, one paramedic and two students in training, the department is in desperate need of good volunteers, Mohler said.
Candidates need only have a clean record, an ability to complete required training, the cost of which is paid by the department, and commit to responding to calls for service. While singles typically encounter less scheduling conflicts, Mohler said, the department has plenty of married members “so it does work.”
Mohler was recruited onto the department shortly after he graduated high school, when he still lived at home. Years later, he’s still with it. “It got in my blood and it’s still in it. I guess it’s the helping of other people,” he said.
Anyone interested in volunteering can call the department at 330- 276-0441 for more information.
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