HUNTINGDON COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — A volunteer fire department is lending a helping hand to another volunteer company by lending a fire engine.
Last week, Mount Union Fire Company in Huntingdon County lent Listie Fire Department in Somerset County its reserve engine. Listie’s fire engine stopped running after a fire call and was left with a valuable community asset.
“It was basically sitting up above not being used out of the elements,” Mount Union Assistant Fire Chief Michael Quarry said about his reserve engine. “So I went and reached out to the president of Listie Volunteer Fire Company Clarence [Bud] Weyand. … We talked, the members had a special meeting [and] we approved it unanimously.”
Quarry said Weyand’s department doesn’t have to pay anything for the engine except for insurance and inspection costs.
Weyand said he was thrilled when Quarry said his company could borrow the truck.
“[There aren’t] enough words to describe it,” Weyand said. “They didn’t have to help us … It means quite a lot to us.”
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Quarry said his department still has three engines, so lending out the reserve was a no-brainer, especially with the recent rise in fuel costs for fire companies.
“Volunteer fire companies are strapped. We’ve got a lot of fundraisers to do and stuff like that. We know money is tight,” Quarry said. “It’s a great feeling that you can help a brother in arms.”