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The festivities were lively and the food was tasty as friends and supporters of the Sidney Volunteer Fire Department came together for the annual Fireman's Ball Friday.
The Fireman's Ball is a fundraising event supporting the expenses of the volunteer department. The event has historically been a dinner and dance. It was updated to a dinner and entertainment. This year the featured entertainment was the Colorado Dueling Pianos.
The Colorado Dueling Pianos is a show of two pianists sometimes, competing, sometimes trading songs or verses and frequently involving the audience in the fun. Audience members were encouraged to submit songs they wanted the pianists to play.
While the numbers are not in year, Capt. Dana Reece estimated about 160 people attended the event.
"I think everybody had fun," Reece said.
The event was held at the Elks Lodge with the Colorado Dueling Pianos show following a roast beef dinner. The event also included a few auction items sold in support of the department.
Donations received help the department purchase equipment that would normally require additional tax funds.Basic equipment for a firefighter can cost almost $9,000 per firefighter including the self-contained breathing apparatus. The SCBA more than doubles the cost of the department's investment, according to an East Clark Professional Fire Fighter's post on the Sidney Fire Department Facebook page. The post says the SCBA alone costs about $5,500. The helmet is listed at $250, Nomex hood, a fire resistant covering between the helmet and the jacket, is $50, the jacket is about $1,000, portable radio $650, heat resistant flashlight $100 and gloves $95.
Reece said the community is blessed to have so much community support. Without the community support, the department and consequently taxpayers would have to fund more of the department. He said without the volunteers and their supportive employers, the City might have to hire more paid firefighters.
"We do appreciate the support for the City and Rural (departments)," he added.
The Sidney Volunteer Fire Department has two agencies it serves; the City of Sidney and the Rural Fire Department. Trucks and equipment for both are housed in the same building. The same firefighters respond to city calls and to rural.
During 2017, an average of 150 hours were volunteered to perform rescue calls and responding to city and rural fires. The department responded to 148 calls, 85 in Sidney and 63 were rural calls. Members of Sidney Volunteer Fire Department had 1,817 total hours of training in 2017, in addition to meetings, time for equipment maintenance and promoting safety.
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