Sep 22, 2018 4 min read

When Bill Flenniken picked up his copy of the Observer-Reporter for his morning read earlier this month, he quickly spotted a story about the plea from the chief of the West Finley Volunteer Fire Co. in Washington County for a loaner fire engine while their truck was out for refurbishment.

Flenniken, who is an assistant chief of the Rices Landing Volunteer Fire Department in Greene County, saw an opportunity to help and put one of his department’s fire engines back to work. After calling the fire chief, Bill Kozich, and some of the officers in the department, it was quickly agreed to loan the 1980 American LaFrance engine to West Finley.

And West Finley fire Chief Steve Emery could not be more relieved, especially when the company’s only engine, a 1997 Spartan, had to be taken out of service because of brake problems. Emery had shared his department’s plight on Facebook, but after the newspaper story appeared, he started getting calls from as far away as New Jersey with offers of assistance.

The Rices Landing engine was being stored in a building owned by a fire department member while renovations were being done at the station, Flenniken explained. The bay where the truck was usually kept was being used to store construction materials for the project.

“When I read the story, it caught my interest because a good friend, Ed Szygenda, has a farm there and had just built a new house on his property,” Flenniken said. “We had that third engine that we weren’t using, so I talked with the chief and others, and they were all supportive to loan the truck.”

Flenniken contacted Emery with the offer of a loaner. Emery’s only concern was that the borrowed truck would fit in his department’s station on Majorsville Road. Members of the Claysville Volunteer Fire Department, a mutual-aid responder for West Finley, had offered to loan one of their trucks, but it did not fit in the station.

A little more than a week after Flenniken read the story, he and several other department members made the hour-long drive from Rices Landing to West Finley.

“I had tried to reassure Steve that the truck would fit in their station,” Flenniken said. “When I backed it in their station, I could see the smile on Steve’s face.”

“It actually fits in the station better than our truck,” Emery said.

The Rices Landing firefighters told Emery to keep the truck as long as it is needed.

They explained how to operate the engine to their comrades in West Finley, and the truck was taken for a test drive by West Finley firefighters. Emery said the insurance coverage for the truck was changed to West Finley.

“That was pretty easy because both departments had the same insurance company and same agent,” Emery said.

Emery’s big concern in being without an engine for as long as six months after their truck is taken to be refurbished in November is the distance mutual-aid companies have to travel to get to their coverage area, which includes 50 square miles in West Finley and another 25 square miles in East Finley. Emery said the two closest fire departments, Dallas (W.Va.) and Richhill, Greene County, are each about seven miles away. In Washington County, the closest fire departments are in Claysville, West Alexander and Morris Township, and are 10 to 12 miles away.

Emery’s concerns were validated last week before they took delivery of the loaner truck when a shed caught fire, destroying it and heavily damaging an adjacent garage. While the department’s tanker can be used in the initial firefight, an engine is needed to handle structure fires, he added.

“We had to use our tanker and had enough water to knock it down,” Emery said. “We had to wait for about 20 minutes before Dallas firefighters arrived, and they were able to help and support us with more water.”

The other mutual-aid departments had not arrived, and their response was canceled by Emery. Had the fire spread, they would have continued in, he added.

Flenniken said his department has developed a friendship with the West Finley company that is sure to last.

“I just want to thank everyone who reached out to help,” Emery said. “I just really appreciate it.”