ELY, Iowa (KCRG) - The Ely Fire department is working to raise nearly a million dollars for a new fire truck.That’s around 6 times as expensive as the department’s current truck it bought 30 years ago.“It’s a large number, especially for a volunteer department, our resources are limited,” said Mark Becicka.Becicka’s a volunteer firefighter and helps organize fundraising, raising around $250,000 so far.“That is a daunting task, that’s a lot of money for anything and I...
ELY, Iowa (KCRG) - The Ely Fire department is working to raise nearly a million dollars for a new fire truck.
That’s around 6 times as expensive as the department’s current truck it bought 30 years ago.
“It’s a large number, especially for a volunteer department, our resources are limited,” said Mark Becicka.
Becicka’s a volunteer firefighter and helps organize fundraising, raising around $250,000 so far.
“That is a daunting task, that’s a lot of money for anything and I know they have a certain amount of time to do it,” said Elli Netolicky.
Netolicky’s has lived in Ely her whole life and has donated to fire department’s fundraiser before.
She was one of hundreds who came to the department’s concert, which was expected to raise around $10,000.
“If they don’t have the money to do something, we need to do whatever we can to get them the money to do it because they’re the ones that are responding first to us,” Netolicky said
Raising $10,000 in a single night is impressive, but large events are rare.
The new truck will be delivered in 2028, but Ely’s firefighters are well behind pace to raise the money they need. If they don’t have it in time, they’ll have to take out a loan.
“That can eat into a lot of our budget on other ends, whether it comes to other gear, training, training materials, and just equipping our firefighters,” Becicka said.
Even with all the unknowns, Becicka said they need this new truck. He said it will give the firefighters more space for gear, and make a huge difference in response times.