By: Lydia Crawley
The Parsons Advocate
Parsons Volunteer Fire Department Chief Kevin White updated the Parsons City Council on matters pertaining to the 2024 Fireman’s Fair and the progress the Fire Department has made in updating the Department’s fire fighting equipment. The update came as part of the Council’s meeting agenda’s New Business.
The dates for the 2024 Annual Firemen’s Homecoming Fair has been set for Saturday September 22, 2024 to Sunday, September 29, 2024 “About three years ago, we moved it back into September from the May dates,” White said. “And that is the date we will probably continue to have from here going forward.”
White outlined plans for the annual event. According to White, the amusement ride company will arrive on September 22nd and roads will be blocked the following Monday. Wednesday through Saturday following will feature amusement rides, entertainment and Bingo with Tuesday being the official start of festivities with an Open House at the Fire Department. “The events actually kick off on Tuesday evening with our annual Open House at the Fire Department,” White said.
By Sunday or Monday, White said everything should be torn down and gone from the site. “Sunday, Monday, usually they are gone by Sunday morning,” White said. “With the exception of the Bingo tent, which is in the private parking lot and the downtown stage, which is usually on Walnut, where you turn off of First onto Walnut.”
White said that the other streets would be open on Sunday morning. “So all the other streets should be opened up by probably Sunday morning when you show up to go to church or wherever you would be going,” White said.
White said the VFD does make a small amount of money from the event. According to White, the money raised is used to fund the protection of the citizens of Parsons. “We do make a little money at it,” White said. “We don’t make a to, but we do make a little bit of money and in our business, money is protection. Every dime we make goes back to the protection of the citizens or the equipment to protect them in.”
White said the department has received complements. According to White, the Fair has been held since the 1940s. “I can date it back that far,” White said. “We were actually the original group to bring rides to the City of Parsons and then they grouped up with the County Fair and so on.”
The event is about more than fundraising to the VFD, White said. The VFD event brings out the community and gets them involved, according to White. “We feel we bring more than just a money making event,” White said. “We feel that we are bringing some community involvement, a true homecoming. We see people that come out to get a corn dog that come to town once a year basically, but they come for the Fair.”
The Council approved the request of use of the downtown streets for the Fair in an unanimous vote.
While White was before the Council, he also updated them on the VFD’s plans to upgrade equipment. According to White, the VFD has been exploring options to revamp their existing fire truck to extend the life of the rig. The VFD began exploring the option when the cost of a new fire truck skyrocketed, according to White. “I brought to you the fact that the truck we was looking at is basically a million dollars now,” White said. “We have come up with Plan B because a million dollars is way above our budget and capabilities.”
Instead of ordering a new fire engine, White said the department has decided to have the existing one refurbished. The cost of the refurbishing White said would be around $200,000. Along with the refurbishment of the engine, White said the department has also invested in a new Rapid Response Vehicle. “So we are going to get two trucks that will be able to service us for under $300,000,” White said.
The Rapid Response Vehicle the VFD has ordered , according to White, is a 3500 GMC equipped with medical and rescue capabilities. The new vehicle is expected to arrive around the end of the year, White said. “I told you we were looking at a new Rapid Response Vehicle. We did order that vehicle.”
White said the measure would buy the department approximately another eight years to save money and look at options for a new fire truck in the future. Along with buying the VFD additional time to consider the purchase, White said he felt that the refurbishment of the engine and purchase of the Rapid Response Vehicle placed the department with a reliable fleet of vehicles to protect the citizens of Parsons. “We feel by the end of next year that we will have a very solid fleet to protect the citizens of Parsons,” White said.
According to White, the VFD is funded through Harman funds and fire fees that is applied for by the department and awarded through the City. White stated that the VFD does not have an “open checkbook” and that he wanted it made clear that the City controls the distribution of funds to the department. “The City controls our fire fees,” White said. “We do not have an unwanted, open checkbook. They tell us what we can and cannot buy for our presentation because there has been some question how we get our money and how its spent.”
According to White, the yearly funding mainly goes towards equipment. “We appreciate all the help you all (provide) whenever it comes time to throw a few dollars for the betterment of the citizens of Parsons and our annual fire fees that you all collect on our water bills,” White said.
According to White, the Ladies’ Auxiliary fund raises. Those funds, White said supplies the VFD with discretionary money, but has also been donated to the truck fund over the years as well as other needed equipment. White said the VFD has been looking at the purchase of an electronic sign to display events and information. According to White, the Auxiliary has given the department $17,000 towards the purchase of the sign through their “Chicken Burn” fund raisers. White said. “They made all that money by selling chickens. That’s a lot of chickens.”
White praised the Ladies’ Auxiliary. According to White, he was recently approached by a fire department outside the county that complimented him on the work the Auxiliary has done. “How do you get a Ladies’ Auxiliary that good?” White said. “That is his exact words…They wanted to know how we got such a good Ladies’ Auxiliary. It told him we was just lucky.”