Volunteering to outfit volunteers

The Hanna fire department is volunteer, the same as many small towns in Wyoming. Finding people to commit to the time and training needed to be a volunteer isn't easy and, when a town fire department does, it wants to make sure it can give these folk the best equipment possible.

The problem? Money doesn't come easy to small towns to fund a fire department, especially a town like Hanna which doesn't have many businesses within its limits. Fundraising can be very difficult, yet equipment to keep the volunteers is expensive.

Several businesses have come to aid the Hanna Volunteer Fire Department in the past two years.

Sinclair Wyoming Refining Company (Sinclair) recently gave almost $9,000 to the department to outfit the volunteers in new bunker gear.

"They gave us enough to outfit each member of our team to have bunker gear for a structure fire," Fire Chief Mark Kostovny said. "We have different equipment for different fires. If you see green pants and a yellow shirt, that is gear for grass fires. Structure fire gear is big and heavy that you can go into a fire with."

Structure bunker gear isn't inexpensive. The jacket runs about $900 and the pants about $800.

"There is an expiration date for this gear. It usually is about 10 years," Kostovny said. "Ours was purchased between 1999 until about 2003. It really was old and needed to be replaced."

Kostovny said with the gift of this year–where they can buy five sets of bunker gear–Carbon County's allocation for the department to buy three sets and Sinclair's monetary gift last year that bought four sets, all volunteers have structure bunker gear. That comes to a total of around $20,000.

That is big money for a small town of 900 to raise.

Sinclair is not the only business to help the Hanna fire department. Recently, Rocky Mountain Power contributed funds so that new fire helmets could be bought.

"They are different from the traditional fire helmets," Kostovny said. "They look like motorcycle helmets. They have a built in face shield and built in goggles. It is much lighter."

Sammy Sikes, Hanna town council member and volunteer, said they are much more practical.

"You can wear them for about four hours," Sikes said. "That makes a big difference."

"Plus the traditional helmets out on the highway on a windy day has the wind push them off," Kostovny said. "Because these are enclosed, you now have a bubble over your head."

"With traditional helmets, soon as they go on, all you want to do is get them off," Sikes said. "These helmets are user friendly. They have been used in Europe for a while."

The helmets run almost $350.

"Rocky Mountain bought 12 helmets for us last year," Kostovny said. "They have been very generous."

Not all businesses that have contributed substantially to the fire department are major corporations. A local Saratoga business was instrumental in the purchase of two new nozzles for hoses.

"Bridge Street Bargains in Saratoga gave us money for two nozzles. They run $650 a piece, so this money really helped us modernize our ability to fight fires," Kostovny said. "The new nozzles are lighter and faster acting."

"First new nozzles that I can remember being purchased since I don't know when," Sikes said.

"Unfortunately fire equipment that has National Fire Protection Agency on it, you can count on it being expensive," Kostovny said. "It isn't cheap to run a fire department even all volunteer."

Kostovny said although it is a volunteer service, the members treat the department in a professional manner.

"We follow the same standards that a paid department is going to follow," Kostovny said. "We are doing the same things, although we may not have the same certifications because if you are a paid fireman, you get to sit in a station when you are not working and take classes. You get paid for it."

Kostovny said training and practices take about 20 hours a month.

"That doesn't even include the call times," Kostovny said. "That is why it is essential to have good equipment and why we are grateful to companies and people that contribute to make sure we get what we need."

Kostovny said if it was a perfect world, the minimum to run the Hanna fire department would be $60,000.

"That is maintaining what we have and putting a little aside for vehicle replacement," Kostovny said. "For me to outfit a firefighter, it costs about $3500 including the air pack. If you don't have this equipment, someone's life is in danger."

Kostovny is pleased with the funds raised in the community by the residents, but he does acknowledge he wished more people would come to their events.

"People don't really think about what is provided or how it is provided when there is a fire," Kostovny said. "There is just this expectation we will be there with good equipment."

Kostovny said the town of Hanna also contributed recently. They paid for all the fire boots for the volunteers. The boots run $345 a piece. Kostovny said RNB State bank contributed $1,000 last year, too.

"You know, it is like having volunteers. We appreciate the time that they give," Kostovny said. "It is the same with contributors big or small. We couldn't survive without them."