The Bell City Fire Department is looking to build a new fire station and it needs the public’s help to do it. Bell City Fire Chief David Scherer said the department has purchased a Shell station located on Walnut Street. The Shell station will be the site of the new station.
However, the Shell station is in dire need of repair. Scherer said bricks are coming off the building and with a day care near by, they have to go in and start repairs soon.
“It’s either got to be fixed or it’s got to be tore down and a new building built,” said Scherer. “So what we are trying to do is get donations and stuff to build a new building.”
Scherer said the building the department purchased had sat empty for about 10 years with no repairs done to it during that time. Scherer explained that the fire department would like to build a five-stall building. Currently the department has vehicles and equipment at two locations due to lack of room. A building by city hall has three trucks but Scherer said there is no room to move around because supplies are stored there as well. A pumper and brush truck are at the Shell station but there is no room there because the half of the building without the trucks has fallen in.
This means when a call comes in personnel must pick up equipment and vehicles at the current station as well as city hall. Scherer explained that once the new station is in place all of the vehicles and equipment would be at one location. This will save valuable time and allow a quicker response to those in need.
Scherer said different equipment is kept in different trucks. The type of call that comes in — medical, fire or accident — will dictate which equipment and truck they take. As it currently stands if it is discovered a piece of equipment is left off a truck, multiple locations may have to be checked to locate it. The new station would have everything in one location and the equipment could quickly be grabbed off a shelf.
Scherer said the department is expecting a new mini pumper, which was donated to the department to arrive soon. When the pumper arrives another vehicle will have to be moved out of the current station to make room for the pumper.
“We may want to take one or two trucks with us to make sure we have everything that we need,” said Scherer. “If we have to come up here and get this up here and run down there and get that one down there to make sure we have got what we need, that is time out to where we are not moving to the situation.”
Scherer said a grant is not going to work for the Bell City Fire Department because most grants want a set percentage of the grant amount paid down up front. This is money the department does not have. He explained that the department’s main income is the sale of fire tags to those in their service area outside of the city limits of Bell City. This amounts to $2,500 to $3,000 a year. This money must cover any expenses that may come up. The rural residents that purchase the tags will not be charged should the fire department be called to their property. Rural residents who do not have a tag will be charged a set fee depending on the type of call. Scherer said the tags are sold for $50 to each 911 address, and if a farmer wants to cover more ground the tag will cost $100 for the area they live. This is a savings for the residents compared to the minimum charges to respond to a structure or vehicle fire or wreck.
Residents in the city limits are not charged if they must call the fire department.
The Bell City Fire Department is a volunteer department with 14 members on its roster. However, Scherer explained that members of the department all have other jobs so when a call is received there may only be six or seven members able to respond due to their other jobs. He said they receive mutual aid from Advance and vice versa.
Bell City firefighter Collin Julian said the new building will also allow the department to hold community events at the station. He explained that currently they must use the Bell City Community Center if the community wants to host any events.
The department has a goal of $100,000 to build the new building, but Assistant Chief Kevin Julian said any money raised will go toward the repair of the building should they not reach their goal.
A fundraising breakfast is scheduled for June as well as a car wash on Memorial Day weekend during the 100 Mile Yard Sale. The car wash is scheduled to be held at the old Advance gym just off Highway 25 on Highway C. More information will be released on each event at a later date by the Bell City Fire Department.
Kevin Julian said a Go Fund Me page is set up for the department, which can be accessed from the Bell City Fire and Rescue Facebook page or by going to https://www.gofundme.com/f/new-fire-station-for-bell-city-fire-rescue?fbclid=IwAR2lAw-hZdN_I0A5wlYtVNEBeCf6BuJr8kQoY5FtQyLv_-S7r8sBDLpSH7Q&utm_campaign=p_cp_url&utm_medium=os&utm_source=customer.