In 2021, Calhoun Volunteer Fire Department had one firefighter. Although there were fire trucks, only one ran. The others needed work.
The gear was old as well when Mark Hardin took over as chief in December 2021.
The mantra he brought -- neighbors helping neighbors.
So, he opened the firehouse doors to them. He told the fire department's story on Facebook and hosted almost weekly training, according to KMBC,
Now, there are 28 volunteer firefighters.
The department made repairs to the old trucks and has pride in the work that they do.
"We're a very active and very aggressive fire department. We're not a department that stands back,” he said.
But one thing, one very big thing, was missing -- money.
Until now.
Quietly, Sam Sloan, 91, had been working on something.
“I'm making a donation to the fire department. I've been planning to for several years. It's half a million dollars and a half a million dollars is a pretty good donation," he said.
Stunned by the generous gesture, Harden saidL "Never in a million years would I ever expect anything like that for a rural fire department. In March of this year, at the end of our first quarter, we had $169 left in our bank account.”
They plan to use the money to get three firetrucks and new equipment.
"Every one of our firefighters, from head to toe, we're going to be fitted next Monday for new gear," the chief said.
“The first thing that we're going to replace is our tanker pumper. Our tanker pumper has been patched together about 17 times in the last year I think I welded on that thing."
Sloan said he’s happy with his donation and the way the department is already putting it to good use.
"I'm getting a lot of credit for it, but I don't know how to fix one of them things. But I know how to make a dollar and there's a difference there,” Sloan said.
Members are holding true to their motto of 'neighbors helping neighbors' by donating the items they are replacing to other rural companies.
