Rehoboth Fire Co. kicks off tower truck capital campaign
Looking to meet the demands of a growing Cape Region, the Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company has kicked off its capital campaign for a new tower ladder truck.
During a press conference Dec. 16, fire company spokesman and Campaign Chair Warren Jones said the department’s current tower ladder truck is 25 years old, and a replacement truck is expected to cost at least $1.4 million.
Jones said the current truck still works and can do the job required, but newer trucks have much better technology. He said it’s getting harder and harder, and more expensive, to fix the truck when needed.
With the ability to reach a little more than 100 feet, the truck is used on commercial and residential structures taller than two stories, said Jones. He said the fire company’s capital campaign is a two-year appeal to local businesses and residents.
Fire Chief Chuck Snyder said while the capital campaign is going on, the fire company will be figuring out exactly how the truck should be outfitted to best suit local needs. He said once the money has been raised, the truck will take another year to build and then an additional six months to train on.
“It’s not unsafe. It’s not bad. It’s just old,” said Snyder of the current truck, named Tower 86.
Jones said Phase 1 of the capital campaign is targeted at the affluent neighborhoods protected by the fire department. As more of the area’s large homes get built, they’re the ones that are really going to benefit from the new truck, he said.
Phase 2, said Jones, will be neighborhoods with smaller homes and businesses.
Jones said the goal is to raise all the money for the truck through campaign donations; that way it doesn’t affect the department’s daily operating expenses. Roughly half of the fire company’s annual operating budget comes from local government agencies; the rest, said Jones, is raised by the fire company.
For more information on how to donate, call Jones at 302-535-4566. Donations can also be made on the fire company’s website, rehobothbeachfire.com, by clicking on the capital campaign button.
