Members of the Citizen’s Fire Company (CFC) in Middleport (Schuylkill County, PA) are celebrating the addition of a 1985 fire truck donated to them by their newly developed brother and sister station Middleport Fire Company (MFC) in Middleport, New York.
The donated 1985 Spartan Young 1,000-gallon/1,250 GPM truck will replace the CFC’s 1984 Mack Midliner 750-gallon/1,000 GPM truck, which was purchased by the CFC in 2007 for $20,000. “Our Mack truck has seen better days, and the donated Spartan truck will better support Middleport and surrounding communities,” said CFC Chief Darren Borger. He continued saying the addition of the truck will give firefighters more water pressure and storage when responding to emergencies. Members added that the truck better meets National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes and standards.
Three members of the Citizen’s Fire Company of Middleport in Schuylkill County made the 5-hour, 300-mile trip Saturday morning (March 22, 2014) to pickup the donated fire truck. They were Todd Amos, Assistant Chief; Russell Hauck, Fire Police Captain; and Sylvie Hauck, Fire Police Lieutenant. They returned the Middleport PA just before 7 PM on Sunday.
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“We felt loved and like part of the family,” said Sylvie Hauck, describing the time they spent with MFC firefighters and volunteers in New York.
“They couldn’t have been kinder,” said Amos. “Their hospitality was unbelievable. They are a really great group of people.”
Amos, who said he recently heard of the fire company in Middleport, New York, said he called the fire company a few weeks ago to invite them to their truck housing for their recently purchased tanker truck. The conversation eventually resulted in talks about the MFC Spartan truck. After a discussion with members, MFC firefighters chose to donate the truck to the CFC. “It all happened on a whim,” added Amos. “Who would have ever thought that inviting them down would result in us getting a truck?”
“A very, very old fire truck,” said MFC Vice President Darren Burdick describing the 1985 Spartan, according to an article in the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal. The article added the company’s options for disposing of the fire engine (unused for 15 years) were limited to selling it to a private entity or, due to the shape it’s in, donating it.
Amos added that while in New York, they were given a tour of the MFC station, received training on the donated truck, and treated to meals at area eateries.
“The Spartan rides great and was a pleasure to drive,” said Russell Hauck, describing the return trip to Middleport PA. “Everything that needs to work on the Spartan does. Anything else we do to it will only be to improve it.”
CFC firefighters said they don’t have any plans to remove the “Middleport Fire Department” markings on the truck.
“This is a fantastic windfall for the community,” said CFC volunteer Jim Johns. “Being able to upgrade our equipment takes pressure off our fundraisers.”
“We plan to visit our brother and sister station in New York as much as possible,” said Amos, who added that MFC also plans to visit during the official truck housing scheduled in June. “We are hoping Schuylkill County treats these guys with the same amount of hospitality they gave us.”
“We plan to stay in touch and support each other,” added Amos. “That’s what brothers and sisters do.”
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(Click HERE to view the story from the Lockport Union Sun & Journal.)
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(Click HERE to view the local TV story from WYOU/WBRE.)
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(Click HERE to view CFC-PA Facebook page. Or HERE to view their website.)
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(Click HERE to view MFC-NY Facebook page. Or HERE to view their website.)
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TamaquaArea.com video of fire truck arrival in Middleport PA:

Submitted photos from visit to New York:

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TAMAQUAAREA.COM PHOTOS OF TRUCK’S ARRIVAL IN MIDDLEPORT PA: