East 52 VFD 2021 Donation Letter and Newsletter

East 52 Volunteer Fire Department 4626 Livingston Hwy. ● Celina, TN 38551 ● (931) 243-5352 east52firedept@gmail.com ● www.east52vfd.org ● Find us on Facebook!

Dear resident, On the behalf of East 52 Volunteer Fire Department, we would like to express our appreciation for the continued support from our community over the years. Last year was a difficult year for everyone, and we felt the effects in our fundraising activities. The attached newsletter outlines some of the things we accomplished in 2020.

We strive to provide the best service possible to our community, utilizing our resources at the fullest extent. We pride ourselves in our members, who are 100% volunteer. We are a 501(c)(3) charity, and receive $2,500 funding yearly from local government. The remainder of our operating expenses must be raised through fundraisers, donations, and grants. If it is within your means, we are asking for a donation to aid us in our operating expenses. Donations can be sent to: East 52 VFD, c/o Letter Drive, 4626 Livingston Hwy., Celina, TN 38551 Thank you for your consideration. Our department also needs members to help with building maintenance, administrative duties, and firefighting. If you are interested in volunteering, please call us at (931) 243-5352 or email us at east52firedept@gmail.com. You are also welcome to attend our business meetings.

Please reach out to us if you are interested in attending, as we are modifying our meetings for the foreseeable future for COVID protections.

Thank you, Members of East 52 VFD

East 52 Volunteer Fire Department 4626 Livingston Hwy., Celina, TN 38551 ● (931) 243-5352 www.east52vfd.org ● east52firedept@gmail.com

East 52 VFD Newsletter The year 2020 was challenging for everyone, and our department was not spared of its effects. We were not able to hold many of our usual fundraisers due to the pandemic.

To make up for this, we focused hard on grants, which were also highly competitive due to all charitable organizations are suffering from lack of funding. Our volunteers logged a total of 1,300 training hours and 880 work detail hours in 2020.

Grant Activity

East 52 VFD received a grant from UCEMC Cares this past year to allow us to purchase 2 chain saws and accessories to use during weather events. We obtained grant funding from the State of TN for two sets of turn out gear to wear during fires, and another grant from forestry for wildland firefighting tools. We received $600 in funding through a Woodmen Life campaign that

allowed us to replace batteries in our SCBA breathing devices. We also received a grant for bailout bag rope systems and training from the Joseph P. DiBernardo Memorial Foundation.

These systems will allow firefighters to escape in emergency situations.

Finally, Twin Lakes funded $5,000 for use on 2 GPS chart plotters for our fire boats, a tablet, and 40 months of Internet service.

Fire Boats East 52 VFD has 2 fire boats for use on water emergencies on Dale Hollow Lake and occasionally the Cumberland River.

Free Smoke Detectors Available East 52 VFD is now part of the Get Alarmed TN! Program. With this program, the State Fire Marshall’s office provides the department with free smoke detectors to provide to the community. We are tasked to install the detectors in homes and provide safety information to residents. This program has saved 314 lives statewide since it began in 2012. Please call (931) 243-5352 if you need smoke detectors in your home.

In June of 2020, the department’s open-bow boat sank, causing several hundred dollars’ worth of damage to the motor. We have not determined the cause of the incident, as we have not had problems since it happened. We worked tirelessly and were able to put the boat back in service in time to assist with firework shows on the lake during Independence day, along with responding to water emergencies.

In 2019, we responded via truck and fire boat to Cedar Hill Marina, along with Celina Fire Dept. and Pea Ridge VFD. Two house boats were on fire, and the three departments were able to contain the fire and prevent it to spreading to the dock and other boats. Also that year, we responded to a boat wreck and assisted with getting the 1

boat on land.

In 2020, we responded to a two sinking boat calls and to a stranded boater call, along with the firework show at Willow Grove.

Community Outreach The pandemic made community outreach difficult this year.

However, we were able to participate in a drive-through Health and Safety day at the fairgrounds and provide fire safety information to students in the health science class at the Clay County High School. We also handed out candy and fire safety coloring books to children during a drive-through trick-or-treat at our department on Halloween.

Air Medical Because Clay County residents are located in an area that does not have hospital coverage, it is a good idea to make sure that you are insured in the case that you are

flown out due to a major medical issue. There are many factors in determining which air medical company will be chosen in an emergency (Vanderbilt or Air Evac), so it is wise to make sure that you are insured by both options. Emergency helicopter rides cost several thousand dollars, but you can insure yourself for a few dollars a year. You can benefit East 52 VFD while signing up for Air Evac coverage by enrolling online at www.amcnrep.com/Lisa-JaiGore and use Track Code 13874 and Get Code 12207. Vanderbilt’s air medical may be covered by your medical insurance (you need to contact them to be sure).

Kroger Community Rewards You can support East 52 VFD for free while shopping at Kroger by registering your card at www.KrogerCommunityRewards.c om. Search for 21767 to find East 52.

paperwork, maintenance of trucks and boats, cleaning the building, and many more tasks. We are a family-oriented department, and our members become family members. We would love for you to join us. Call us at (931) 243-5352 if you are interested in joining, email us at east52firedept@gmail.com, or message us on our Facebook page.

Thank you We are proud to serve our community and are thankful for your continued support of our fire department.

Amazon Smile You can support East 52 VFD while shopping on Amazon’s website.

Please consider designating us as your charity on Smile.Amazon.com. Then, when you check out using the smile.amazon.com link, Amazon will donate a percentage of the sale to our department at no charge to you.

Volunteers Needed We could use your help! Not all of our volunteers are firefighters. We also need help with fundraisers, 2