The Muddy Pond Volunteer Fire Department has received a donated vehicle from the Overton County Sheriff’s Office, giving the rural department additional support for emergency response and new technology.
Fire Chief Carl Horst said the department is receiving a used Ford Explorer that previously served as a sheriff’s office patrol vehicle. Horst said receiving the vehicle at no cost to the department was a blessing.
“It’s huge, cause I mean, you know, vehicles are several thousands of dollars, you know,” Horst said. “I mean, we’ve been blessed with our fundraisers and grants and all that, but it’s still, there is always somewhere you have got to spend money on maintenance and all that.”
Horst said the vehicle will primarily be used to support the department’s developing drone team, which was created after the department received a drone through a state Fire Marshal’s grant last year. He said having a locally based drone can be especially helpful for search and rescue calls in rural areas, where specialized equipment may otherwise take time to arrive.
“We did have a drone in the county, but it’s in the Livingston area,” Horst said. “It can take 20 to 30 minutes to get here, so we decided to see if we could get one up here to help with searches and different situations.”
Horst said raising money for equipment and vehicles can be difficult for volunteer departments that rely heavily on community support and fundraisers.
“It is a struggle to fundraise as a volunteer fire department,” Horst said. “We do auctions and other events, and it’s a lot of work for the whole community to help us raise what we need.”
Horst said the donated vehicle will also serve as a chief’s vehicle for meetings and department business, reducing the need for volunteers to use their personal vehicles.
“We definitely appreciate this,” Horst said. “It’ll be a big help to us, and hopefully we can be a big help to the county.”