VIDEO: Keeping the community safe is part of their job. Now, the Town of Fond du Lac Volunteer Fire Department is asking the public to contribute to their GoFundMe for new helmets to keep them safe. Made up of 35 members, the Town of Fond du Lac Fire Department serves an area of 36 miles and 3,500 residents on an all-volunteer basis. This means the first responders do not get paid for responding to calls, training or attending meetings.
To protect themselves while running into a burning building, the crew needs to have the right equipment. Gear is typically funded by the Town of Fond du Lac Board, which replaces it when asked, said Town of Fond du Lac Volunteer Fire Department Lt. Jim Haltaufderheide.
However, under the leadership of Fire Chief Dean Birschbach, the department, the crew realized that equipment should meet a standard set for by the National Fire Protection Agency Standard 1851.
The requirement: all fire turnout gear should be “replaced every 10 years in order to adequately protect the life and safety of a firefighter,” according to the GoFundMe page.