Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Willisville Fire Department gets donation of truck

Only minutes after the meeting

was called at the Willisville

Volunteer Fire Department on

March 6, a report came in on the

radio about a fire near the community.

Within seconds, 11 of the 16

volunteers vanished from the

fire department to respond to

the call.

Nevada County Sheriff

Bobby Carlton donated a 1998

ambulance to the team of volunteers

for them to use as a command

center and for search and

rescue.

Carlton said the ambulance

will not be used for transportation

of patients or take the place

of any other ambulance service

 that duty will remain in the

hands of emergency medical

technicians and paramedics.

Fifteen minutes after Carlton

and Willisville Volunteer Fire

Chief Mack Bridges began talking

about the uses and the benefits

of new vehicle, another call

came through the radio. Only

this time the volunteers were

asked if assistance was needed.

"Thatll be a negative,"

responded Bridges. "Theyve

got it under control."

Soon thereafter, the engine of

the Willisville fire truck came

humming back to its garage..

Approximately three years

ago, the Nevada County

Ambulance service donated the

ambulance to the Nevada

County Sheriffs Department

for possible use as a transport

vehicle for prisoners or a command

center.

Carlton said that when he

took office in January 2007, the

ambulance was sitting behind

the sheriffs office. He said that

Nick Hibbs, owner of the

Ambulance Service, had donated

the vehicle.

Kavin Stone, a licensed EMT

and volunteer fire fighter for

Willisville had inquired about

the ambulance.

Carlton said the county didnt

need it because there already

was a command center and a

prisoner transport vehicle.

Stone had asked if the county

would sell it to the Willisville

Fire Department, and Carlton

decided to donate the ambulance

to be used as a Rescue and First

Responder Vehicle.

There were minor problems

because vehicles that sit for a

while tend to need repairs.

Carlton provided a major

solution. He personally bought

the $1,200 worth of parts needed

for repairs. Dave Tuttle, a member

of the Perry Town Volunteer

Fire Department and owner of

Daves Auto Repair near Hope,

furnished the labor, along with

David Crews of Crews 44 Truck

Repair in Prescott.

The Nevada County

Ambulance Service and the

Delight Ambulance Service are

going to help stock the unit with

essential items for first response.

The vehicle can be used in

cases that require stabilization of

victims.

Carlton said, "If this unit can

be used to provide a quick

response to aid victims until the

ambulance service can arrive

and in doing so one life is saved,

then i believe it is well worth the

effort of the ... Fire Department.

Recently, the ISO rating of

WVFD changed, from a Class 9

to Class 7 under city regulations;

and from Class 9 to Class 6 in

rural regulations.

With this improvement

comes a pride sparsely found

among other volunteer fire

departments. The hard work the

fire fighters put in with no pay is

worth a few words of appreciation.

"Any time we put out a fire,"

Bridges said, "when they shake

your hand  you cant put a

value on that. The men and

women in this department do it

just to help their fellow man."

"A good, heart-felt Thank

you is worth a lot," WVFD volunteer

Bailey Atkins said.

"I want to thank all the members

of the Willisville Volunteer

Fire Department for the effort in

providing an additional service

to Willisville and the surrounding

communities, Carlton said.