CONOVER
Oct. 9, 2013
Courtesy of the News-Review and The Three Lakes News
Conover Fire Department firefighters, from left, Eric Walloch, Steve Vold, Pat Indermuehle
and Jeremy Schlitt show the new water tank and pump acquired by the squad in 2013. The
Page 39
tank and pump fit onto the back of the department’s brush truck, allowing firefighters to haul
and pump water for brush fires.
—NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO
Conover Fire Department acquires
water tank and pump, bladder bags
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BY COURTNEY BOLTE
NEWS-REVIEW INTERN
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The Conover Fire Department purchased a new tank and pump for its
brush truck, bladder bags and new
chain saws in 2013.
The tank and pump are made to fit
on the back of the department’s brush
truck. It will supply water needed to
combat brush fires. The tank and
pump were paid for with donations
and fundraiser monies.
Fundraising and donations also
paid for new bladder bags and chain
saws. The bladder bags are backpack
portable sprayers that hold water.
Firefighters wear them and are able to
carry the water and sprayer along with
them when needed.
“Our department does annual
fundraisers to raise money including a
pancake breakfast, car show and an ice
fishing contest during the winter,” said
Fire Chief Gary Vold.
Also this year, the Conover Fire Department held a fundraiser of a different kind. Instead of raising funds for
the department, they raised funds to
help a family with a terminally-ill
child.
After discovering their 2-year-old
son, Braydon, had only months to live,
the Matter family began raising funds
to take a family vacation to Disney
World. Friends with firefighter Chad
Lederer, the family approached the
Conover Fire Department for a donation.
“She asked me if we could donate
$100 and I said, ‘We can do a lot more
than that,’ ” said Vold.
The department came together and
raised enough money to send the
whole family to Disney World. Vold
says the entire department was happy
to do it and that they are interested in
doing a fundraiser like that every year.
Last year, the Conover Fire Department purchased a new ambulance for
its emergency medical technicians
(EMT), along with a used multi-use
truck.
The 2011 Lifeline ambulance, which
has a Ford E-450 chassis, was a significant upgrade for the EMTs with more
space and updated features. The town
of Conover, along with Watersmeet,
Mich., has budgeted for the $98,000
purchase for several years, according
to EMT Supervisor Nancy Vold.
“It has more room and has more
compartments in the back,” she said.
“It’s also lower to the ground and people can get up into it. We had problems
with some of the older people getting
into the back of the old one.”
Conover will continue to use another Lifeline ambulance purchased in
2001 in conjunction with the new vehicle.
“This has got more lights on it and it
seems like you can see us coming for
miles,” said Nancy Vold. “Plus it’s
bright yellow, which also helps.”
The fire department also purchased
a diesel 2003 Chevy Duramax 2500HD
in 2011 that is used primarily as a
first-out vehicle, said Gary Vold. The
department funded the $13,500 price
tag using only money from fundraisers.
“There were no taxpayer dollars
used in the purchase of this vehicle,”
said Gary Vold. “It’s going to be a multipurpose vehicle. We’ll use it when we
have to do fire inspections, to combat
brush fires and as a personnel carrier
for meetings and seminars. We can
also use it to pull trailers for snowmobile rescues.”
The vehicle replaced a 1994 Chevy
Suburban, which wasn’t very practical,
according to the chief.
The department also replaced a failing pump on the rear of one of its firefighting vehicles. The new pump works
at 100 gallons per minute and the
$5,200 cost was 80% funded through
the Forestry Department.
“It will replace our old pump, which
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