Central Volunteer Fire Department buys rescue truck, plans parade with Santa

Central Volunteer Fire Department, located in the middle of Lackawaxen Township, Pike County, is celebrating its new heavy rescue truck to better serve the public. The new truck and their other apparatus will be shown off in holiday style with their annual Santa Run Friday, Dec. 8, with Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus towed in their sled.

President Mike Davie said that Central, otherwise known as Company 27, will be marking its 75th anniversary in July of 2024. The department works closely with neighboring Forest Volunteer Fire Department at Kimbles and serves mutual aid with Greeley and Lackawaxen companies, which also serve in this most northern township in Pike County.

Each of the departments comes with their strengths, and they benefit from working together. Davie said that Central has 25 firefighters and fire police and another 25 social/support members, and a three-fleet comprised of Engine-1, Engine-2, and the heavy rescue truck, as well as three department chief vehicles, two support vehicles and an ATV.

Forest, for example, complements the region's firefighting capabilities with its tankers and ladder truck (as well as other apparatus). Central does not have its owner tankers; many of its calls are within the private communities of Masthope Rapids and Fawn Lake Forest and at Woodloch Resort, each of which are served with hydrants. The Engine-1 truck also carries 2000 gallons of water.

The heavy rescue truck, Davie said, is a 2007 Pierce model, which the department purchased from Wading River Fire Department on Long Island. Central financed it by taking out a $400,000 loan. The truck came with most of the necessary rescue tools.

It replaces a 2003 rescue truck which Central has converted for use as its Engine-2 apparatus. Central took out of service a brush truck.

Speaking of the new truck, Davie said that Central now has more tools and "further capacity to better serve the community." Over the next couple of years, they intend to expand their specialized skills and capability to rescue people in more diverse situations. This includes trench rescues, in which someone is trapped in a collapsed trench or ditch.

But why would a 16-year-old truck be a good deal? Davie said that a fire truck does not incur as much mileage as other vehicles. "We got the new Rescue with just over 10,000 miles on it, and it has been in service since 2007. It still has a long life ahead of it," he said. The department in Long Island had excellent maintenance records and schedules, which Davie said Central intends to follow as funding allows.

Central originally considered ordering a new rescue truck that would have cost around $1.2 million and would have taken about four years to build. "So, we ultimately made the decision that a used truck would best way to serve the community," he said. "Of course, we wouldn’t be able to do anything that we do without the generous support of the public."

Santa Run

The members conducted a coin drop over Thanksgiving weekend, which helps buy gifts for children and feed families at the holidays. They help support the Lackawaxen Township Care Cabin, a food pantry serving people in need.

Santa has been booked for Dec. 8-9 for guest appearances in Lackawaxen Township, courtesy of the local fire volunteers.

Friday night, Dec. 8, Central parades their trucks with the Clauses. At 5:30 p.m., they enter Masthope, arriving at the Ski Lodge 10 minutes later. They head back down Westcolang Road and enter Fawn Lake at 6:30, arriving at the clubhouse at 7. They leave from the Fawn Lake clubhouse at 7:40. Times are approximate.

The next morning, Central welcomes Santa and families at breakfast from 9 to 11 a.m., at the firehouse, 574 Westcolang Road. The price is $10 for ages 12 and up, and free for anyone under 12. There will be gifts for children to purchase and have wrapped.

Santa returns that evening for another Santa Run, hosted by Forest Volunteer Fire Department, with stops at Woodledge, Tink Wig and Woodloch Springs developments in western Lackawaxen Township.

Davie said that they always welcome new volunteers. Central may be contacted by calling 570-685-7344, emailing Centralfire27@gmail.com or over Facebook. Prospective members may also stop by the stateion on their weekly training night, Thursdays at 7 p.m., although at times they may be out training with a neighboring fire company.

This year, Central has made about 269 calls so far, a bit behind last year. Answering fire alarms makes up many of them.

For information, visit facebook.com/CVFD27/ and cvfd27.com.

Peter Becker has worked at the Tri-County Independent or its predecessor publications since 1994. Reach him at pbecker@tricountyindependent.com or 570-253-3055 ext. 1588.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Pike County: Central volunteer firefighters get new rescue truck