New firetruck for Frohna Altenburg department

A recent $20,000 donation made by East Perry Lumber Co. toward the purchase of a much-needed new E-One fire truck from Banner Fire Equipment will help Frohna, Altenburg and surrounding rural areas in the event of fire.

East Perry Lumber Co. CEO Stan Petzoldt said, "The volunteer firemen of FAFD [Frohna Altenburg Fire Department] put many hours of training in on their own time and could possibly be putting their lives on the line every time a call goes out. The least we can do is furnish them with good equipment."

Petzoldt and his brother, Marvin Petzoldt Jr,. president of East Perry Lumber Co., served as volunteer firemen for about 15 years. The reason they donated $20,000 in support was to break the cycle of continually replacing used equipment for more used equipment every five to 10 years. Stan Petzoldt said some of the equipment was so old it wouldn't pass insurance rating tests.

Fire chief Tom Unger said new regulations enforce a lot more safety standards and that firefighters were spending much of their time on maintenance because breakdowns were regular.

The pumper truck, valued at $137,000, will serve about 3,000 people in Frohna, Altenburg and surrounding areas. Unger said the pumper holds 1,000 gallons of water and has the potential to pump 1,250 gallons per minute.

FAFD has 25 volunteer firemen and can rely on East Perry County Rural Fire Department for manpower and tanker trucks. Unger said the fire department held fund-raisers to contribute $8,000 for the truck's purchase and that the towns of Frohna and Altenburg each contributed $30,000. The remaining debt is on a lease purchase. Unger said there will be more fund-raisers held in the future to help with operating costs.

cpagano@semissourian.com

335-6611 ext. 133