Local fire service buys new equipment with help from local Legion

July 7, 2022 · 0 Comments

Written By Paula Brown

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Shelburne and District Fire Department (SDFD) has purchased new life saving equipment with the help of a grant from the Royal Canadian Legion.

Liz Whitten, president of the Shelburne Legion Branch 220, presented Chief Ralph Snyder with a grant cheque on behalf of the Royal Canadian Legion Dominion Command last Thursday (June 30).

“The equipment they bought with the money is so important, it’s a fantastic machine,” Whitten told the Free Press. “It’s good for us to show that we are trying to help the community and we give as much as we can.”

With the grant funding, a total of $5,948, the Shelburne Fire Department purchased two thermal imaging cameras. The purchase now means that all but one vehicle for the Shelburne Fire Department is equipped with the cameras that help locate hotspots.

“Whatever call we go to, we have a thermal imaging camera we can use on that scene,” said Snyder.

Thermal imaging cameras allow firefighters to see areas of heat that may be obstructed by smoke, darkness or other barriers, and are used for locating hotspots in fires and for locating individuals.

“[They’re] vital to us, particularly for life saving,” said Snyder. “They’re critical to have and we use them regularly. These one we’ve got; we have had for about a month now. They’ve been used at least once a week every week since we got them and will continue to be; we keep them charged in the trucks all the time.”

Shelburne and District Fire Department has been a previous recipient of the grant from the Royal Canadian Legion. Last year, funding from the grant was used to purchase automatic external defibrillators, replacing the fire departments defibrillators that they could no longer get parts for.

“Usually, we use it for replacement of equipment that’s getting old. Stuff becomes obsolete,” said Snyder.