Donations pour in for burned-down fire department
BRUCETON, Tenn. — Donations of equipment are pouring in after the Bruceton Fire Department lost almost everything in a fire that ripped through their station Wednesday. “We’ve seen an outpouring that you wouldn’t believe,” Bruceton Fire Chief James Sloan said. “Everything from phone calls to visits.” Everything from turnout gear to airpacks have been donated. “It’s monumental to a small department like Bruceton,” Rico Bryson with the Jackson Fire Department said. “That we can all pool our resources together and help them get back to offering the services that they are accustomed to offering.” Departments from across Tennessee and some out of state have donated supplies “We’re down, but we’re going to get right back up and go,” Chief Sloan said. Picking back up right where they left off — answering calls and responding to emergencies, shedding a new light on what it really means to be a firefighter. “We’re the ones that go out to put the fires out, now we’re the ones that are in need,” Bryson said. “It kind of puts things into perspective as emergency service personnel.” Sloan says he hopes to be able to give back to the firefighting community just as they have done for his department. The city’s insurance company has assessed the department’s damage, estimating more than $300,000 in repairs.
