CTVFC History 1996-2008 Cont...
In 2002, CTVFC purchased a used Sutphen 100 foot Tower truck from the City of Longview, Texas. The truck was completely refurbished and placed into service. This is the first truck of its kind in the Company and it has become an invaluable asset to our Company. In the past, we relied on this type of apparatus coming great distances to provide assistance to us.
On July 28, 2002, CTVFC placed its first ever ambulance into service to serve the Township of Clinton. This was done for a myriad of reasons but first and foremost was to be able to provide a much needed service to our residents in a cost effective way that ensured that no one would ever need to worry about the cost of an ambulance trip. Within the first year of service, we expanded our primary response area to include the Townships of Brady and Washington in Lycoming County.
In 2003, the single worst “loss of life” vehicle accident in Lycoming County occurred in Clinton Township on Route 15 South of the Penn DOT Stockpile. It involved a van full of Chinese educators that lost control, went down an embankment, and struck a tree. 7 men were killed instantly. With the help of our State Representative and the News Media, CTVFC fought Penn DOT to improve safety on this stretch of roadway by installing guide rails along the road.
In 2004, we received a Federal Fire Act Grant in the amount of $128,000.00 that was used to replace all of our SCBA or breathing air masks. It also provided for us to have 20 of these units instead of the 11 that we previously had. This gave us more firemen available to go into dangerous atmospheres to fight fire and perform rescues than ever before. We also purchased 30 complete sets of firefighting gear for the members with the newest type available. Before this, we had three or four different types and colors of gear for the members to wear. The grant also provided us with 30 new portable radios. This allowed us to provide every member with a portable radio which effectively improved the overall safety of the members working at incidents by ensuring that everyone could communicate with each other in an emergency.
In 2004, a second ambulance was purchased to meet the ever increasing demands upon our service.
In 2005, the present Tanker truck was donated to the Company by the supervisors of Brady Township to replace our aging 1973 Tanker. The “new” tanker was manufactured by Mountain High Equipment in Walla Walla Washington at a cost of $62,000.00. President Ron Winder and Chief Todd Winder flew to Washington State and drove the truck across the country. The members installed the lights, siren, and equipment saving additional costs. We cannot thank the Brady Township Supervisors enough for this piece of equipment. It has made a significant impact on our ability to fight fires in areas not served by fire hydrants. Those Supervisors were, Timothy Bower, Ray LaForme, and “Jake” Masser.
A building renovation was started this year. We closed in one of the engine bays and added a training and conference room on the ground floor. This gives us a dedicated space for officer meetings, EMS trainings, and can be used by small groups in the community for meetings. The second floor portion was constructed into a bunk room with 6 beds for firemen to use in the event that severe storms or flooding events require us to man our station for long periods of time. The original meeting room was converted into office space to be shared by the administrative officers and the fire chiefs. Previously, there were no offices in the new building. We also constructed an EMS room that contains all of our EMS supplies and provides a space for ambulance crews to perform their record keeping tasks. All of this was made possible through a grant and the labor was performed by members of the Company.