Firefighters going door-to-door Monday, plan chili feed/open house

Greybull volunteer firefighters have begun canvassing local businesses and are planning to go door to door in the community soliciting donations and selling tickets to their chili feed on Monday, March 19, starting at around 6 p.m.Tickets to the chili dinner are $5 per family.The switch to a chili dinner, and away from the annual fireman's dance, is one of many changes this year for the GFD. Participation in the dance had declined in recent years, so firemen decided to instead plan a more family-oriented event. They settled on an open house/chili feed, open to all ages, on Friday, March 23 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Fire Hall."It's also a great way to say thank you to community members who have shown us such great support over the years," said Fire Chief Bill Scott."The Greybull Volunteer Fire Department is not a fire district; the Town of Greybull gives us a small budget to work with and this is the only fundraising we do during the year," said Scott. "We canvass the businesses and the community and rely on those funds to meet firefighter necessities throughout the rest of year."The costs for a fire department can be quite expensive. A set of Personal Protection Gear for an individual can run $3,000, an air pack (SCBA) as high as $5,000. Generators, hand tools, training and replacement of worn equipment are just of the few of the items that we try to budget and make sure are in good condition so that when we do respond to an emergency, we have the things necessary to be effective."There have been major changes during the past year; we have lost a total of five firemen, some after retirement and some before. We have had a few who have moved out of the area or are planning on moving and a retirement or two. We require new members to attend fire schools and recommend all members attend refresher events. We also require all firemen to be First Aid/CPR trained and these things require payment from the funds we collect from the town and from the residents of Greybull.”Residents who aren't visited by firefighters on Monday night will have an opportunity to donate during the chili feed/open house on March 23."The GVFD would like to express our thanks to the businesses in Greybull and the community members that have given us such tremendous support over the years," continued Scott. "We would like to invite you down to the Fire Hall to view the plaque that has been placed on the front of the hall dedicating it to the Murdoch family for all they have done."Firemen will be available to assist people in and out of the fire engines. Bays 3 and 4 will be cordoned off so that there is an emergency exit in the event of a fire call. Parking will be available on the rest of the driveway and the south door to the hall will be open.