Fundraising for Norris fire equipment exceeds goal by more than $3,000
About $9,500 has been raised – exceeding the $6,500 goal – in a campaign to pay for protective gear for Norris firefighters to wear when responding to outdoor calls, such as forest and brush fires.
In the fundraising plea, posted by the group Citizens in Support of Norris Police and Fire, “the multipurpose PPE [personal protective equipment] will allow the firefighters to respond to a variety of calls for service while being protected from cuts, scrapes, and blood-borne pathogen contaminates.
“It will also provide high-visibility awareness when working in wooded areas, such as the Norris Watershed, or along busy roadways. Additionally, this gear will allow the Norris firefighters to preserve their much more expensive structural firefighting gear for its intended purpose while still being properly outfitted for non-structure calls, such as brush fires, downed trees, hiking trail extractions, medical calls and assists, and more.”
All contributions to the fund will go to the Norris Volunteer Fire Department for purchase of the equipment, said city Councilman Will Grinder, who was one of the founders of the support group.
Norris City Manager Adam Ledford said the Fire Department had never asked the city to pay for the special gear, but that he understood that the department had approached the city’s Norris Watershed Board in an attempt to get the funds, but was unable to get that approved.
If the City Council had asked for the money, it probably would have been approved in the city’s regular budget, Grinder said.
“The need was brought up after the budget was passed,” he said. “The Fire Department saw the need for more PPE. They really do need it.”
“The Norris Fire Department would like to thank everyone who donated to our Wildland Fire gear fundraiser, which was a huge success,” Fire Chief Rick Roach said. “We not only met our goal of $6,500, but exceeded by another $3,000.
“The excess will allow the fire department to purchase the remaining gear such as boots, helmets, and gloves, which will ease the burden of the department’s annual budget.”