Bradley Beach Donating Fire Truck to Missouri Fire Company
By JOANNE L. PAPAIANNI
A small town in Missouri is about to become safer.
Bradley Beach Borough Councilman George Bachar reported at Tuesday night’s meeting that the borough’s recently decommissioned fire truck is being donated to the Queen City, Missouri fire company.
The donation will come with a document stating that it has been decomissioned and “has no value.”
Bachar said he spoke to Chief Carl Snyder in Missouri who has been searching for a truck for two years and finally found one “that has wheels.”
“The guy’s thrilled,” Bachar said.
Bachar said one of the firefighters recently tested the truck.
“It started up, the bumper’s been repaired and it’s good to go,” Bachar added.
Bachar said Snyder will be flying out to JFK airport, at his own expense, where members of the Baldwin, Long Island fire department will pick him up, give him their own donations and drive him down to Bradley Beach.
Bradley Beach is also giving Queen City, 12 sets of turnout gear and 12 sets of boots.
Snyder will then drive the truck back to Missouri.
Bachar said the chief cannot afford to have someone accompany him on the trip.
“I’ll just do it myself, that’s the way we do things,” Snyder told him.
Bachar said Queen City is a town of 750 residents and when the fire department holds its annual pancake breakfast fund-raiser they only raise about $500.
Bradley Beach resident Joseph San Felice, who is a professional firefighter, said he has made donations to Chief Snyder in the past, including his own used gear.
Bachar said when Snyder finally picks up the truck, possibly in the beginning of October, the town should make an event of it.
“It’s a wonderful thing,” he said.
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