Valley Volunteer Fire Department reports 23 EMS calls in July, anticipates ladder-truck funding

Zach Eakles, president of the Valley Volunteer Fire Department, told the Pleasant Valley City Council on Aug. 20 that the department responded to 23 emergency medical service calls in July within the city, and also handled 17 motor-vehicle accidents, six Healthnet landing zones, four structure fires, two vehicle fires, two fuel spills and one trash fire.

"We responded to twenty-three EMS calls in the City of Pleasant Valley," Eakles said, and added that the department is pursuing grant funding to replace its ladder truck. He said the department has applied to the American Safer Grants program and that funding was expected to be released in September; he also indicated a separate equipment grant inquiry related to Senator Manchin could be resolved around October.

The presentation was informational; council members listened and did not take formal action on the report. The report included a note that the department sold its old Rescue 121 vehicle to the Mount Clare Volunteer Fire Department earlier in the week.

Why it matters: local fire-department capacity and equipment funding affect response capability for structure fires and mass-casualty incidents. Council members did not vote on new funding for the department at this meeting; Eakles’ update establishes the department’s near-term equipment timeline and ongoing reliance on competitive grants for larger apparatus purchases.

The council moved on to other agenda items after the presentation; no additional public comment about the fire department was recorded at the meeting.