Community helps Hornbrook Fire Department purchase water tender
Bill Choy
The Hornbrook Fire Protection District recently purchased a water tender truck after being without for a few months when their old one broke down.
Volunteer fire chief Tim Thurner gave a warm thank you to the Hornbrook Community Association for getting the word out and helping raise the $25,000 needed to purchase the used water tender truck from the Grayton Fire Department.
“We’re pretty excited to be able to have the truck in service,” he said. “We certainly needed it.”
Thurner said the community came together to help out. This included an egg roll fundraiser organized by Mai Nhia Yang and the Hmong Community that netted more than $12,000. He thanked them for their generosity and was overwhelmed with the amount of money raised and their dedication to help the all-volunteer fire department in Hornbrook.
The department also thanked the community, local businesses, The Ford Foundation, friends and family, and everyone else who helped them make the purchase of the water tender a reality. The Hornbrook Community Association also initiated a Go Fund Me account to help raise funds as well.
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Hornbrook firefighters are all volunteers who respond to calls for medical and fire assistance 24/7. They also provide support for CAL FIRE.
Thurner said the county has a constant need during fire season and a shortage of water tenders to support rural wildland and structure fire suppression. A water tender is a needed resource because most rural areas do not have fire hydrants.
He said the old water tender broke a few months ago after being used on the Badger Fire, and fundraising began in earnest to get a replacement tender truck as soon as possible. He said being an all-volunteer department, funds can be tight, and it’s a great feeling to have a community that comes together to assist and help them out when needed.
Thurner added that the department recently received a grant from The California Fire Foundation to purchase new handheld radios for all firefighters.
He said they would use grant money to adopt a communication system compatible with that used by CAL FIRE and surrounding jurisdictions. This will allow them to have clear and up-to-date communication while working incidents.