Southeastern Adams Volunteer Emergency Services kicks off capital campaign for new trucks
Southeastern Adams Volunteer Emergency Services kicked off a year-long capital campaign Thursday evening by raising over $800,000 towards two new emergency vehicles.
The capital campaign seeks to raise $1.8 million from the community as they seek to purchase a new ladder truck and engine-tanker for the department, at a total cost of around $3 million, according to a news release.
The department, which serves McSherrystown Borough and Conewago Township, as well as portions of Mt. Pleasant and Union townships, hosted a free ice cream social event catered by Half Pint Creamery in Conewago Township.
Department eyes new apparatus
The two new vehicles will replace three of the department's current vehicles that date from the 1990s.
The engine-tanker, which has already been ordered and is expected to arrive in June of 2024, replaces a 1994 tanker as well as a 1998 engine-tanker. As an engine-tanker, the new truck is able to both fight fire and pump hoselines as a fire engine, as well as ferry large amounts of water to rural fire scenes as a tanker.
As for the ladder truck, the department expects to place the order in October of this year. The truck will replace the department's current 1998 quint that has a 75-foot aerial ladder.
A 'quint' is a designation for a ladder truck that is also able to perform the duties of a fire engine, often sacrificing compartment space for additional fire hoses and a water tank. The new ladder truck, while likely remaining a quint, is planned to be significantly larger, with the current plans showing more compartment space and a 100-foot aerial ladder.
Community contributions
The evening of ice cream also saw significant contributions pledged from the local community.
The largest of these contributions came from the McSherrystown Home Association, which presented the department with a $250,000 check. Along with that check, Conewago Enterprises pledged $150,000, Hanover Architectural pledged $100,000, and the department was the recipient of a grant from the J. William Warehime Foundation that totaled $100,000.
Other contributions racked up significant progress for the department: $81,000 from Conewago Township, $50,000 from the Hanover Shoe Farms, $25,000 from the McSherrystown Knights of Columbus, $10,000 from Klunk's Electric, $5,000 from Weber Insurance, and $5,000 from Utz Quality Foods. Other local businesses donated from $100 to $1,500 towards the cause, and residential contributions totaled $16,000.
“SAVES has been truly blessed with strong community partners who recognize the value of volunteer emergency services," said department president Derek Romanoff in a news release from the department.
“The partnership between the community and SAVES dedicated responders and social support volunteers continues to make a tremendous impact in our area."
Harrison Jones is the Hanover reporter for the Evening Sun. Reach him at hjones@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Hanover Evening Sun: Southeastern Adams kicks off campaign for new fire apparatus
