Water, water everywhere, so Gander fire department raises money for rescue boat

Gander's fire department welcomed a new rescue boat, trailer and motor to the town's fire hall Wednesday afternoon.

Gander Fire Rescue has seen an increase in the number of calls for rescues in ponds and other bodies of water, so it raised the money for the new equipment, which has been turned over to the town.

Raised $15,000

"We have a lot of water around here, so that's a big concern for the department," said Chief Harold Lowe. "The department is trained on ice water rescues, so this is the next step."

The department, made up of both paid and volunteer firefighters, beganfundraising in November.

Through ticket draws, car washes and corporate sponsorships, the department was able to raise$15,000, which was enough to purchase all the equipment presented Wednesday.

Gander Mayor Percy Farwellpraised the firefighters as a dedicated group.

"They are there for the town in the difficult times, we rely on them heavily and the majority of them are doing it on a volunteer basis," he said.

Farwell said that for the firefighters to spearhead such a campaign in order to get resources for the community says a lotabout the department, and Lowe said the support is mutual.

"It's a very dedicated department, and the community is supporting the fire department hugely," said Lowe, who noted several local sponsorships that helped the firefighters reach their goal.

Department will train on new equipment

"It speaks volumes," said Lowe."The people in the town are dedicated to the town, and obviously if they are willing to help champion pieces of equipment for us then that's huge in itself."

The department will now start training on the new equipment.

"We have the boat and motor and it's all running," said Lowe."We're doing some internal training on the operations of the boat and rescue techniques and we're looking at having a company come in or some individuals come in to do certified training with them as well."

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