Fish fry and fundraiser postponed
Tue, 04/21/2020 - 10:37am
admin
The Clearbrook Volunteer Fire Department had planned to hold a fish fry and fundraiser on Saturday, April 25th, 2020. Due to the Governor’s shelter in place order, recommendations of not gathering in large groups, social distancing and the closure of bars and restaurants, they have regretfully decided to postpone. The safety of the community is their first priority. They sincerely hope that this situation is resolved quickly and when our fish fry is rescheduled we will advertise it on our Facebook page and in the Leader Record.
The annual spring raffle will go forward as previously planned. The grand prize is $10,000! In addition, five $100 prizes will also be drawn. Ticket cost is $100 each with only 200 tickets being sold! Buy for yourself, or split one with a group. The drawing will be held at 8:00 PM on April 25th, as previously scheduled. Tickets are available from any firefighters or at the following local businesses: Clearbrook Collision Center, North Country Hardware and Community Oil.
They had planned to use the funds raised through this year's Fish Fry to purchase self- contained breathing apparatus (SCBA.) Due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak, and the recent CDC recommendations, they will have to divert some of the funds to purchase needed Medical PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) to keep the fire deparemtne and the community safe as they respond to medical calls.
A self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) is a device worn by firefighters to provide breathable air in an immediately dangerous to life or health atmosphere. Clearbrook Fire currently has 20 MSA branded SCBA units with composite air tanks and full face masks. Since a firefighter may go through two or more air tanks during a fire suppression activity they also have 20 spare MSA branded composite air tanks. The composite air tanks require proof testing every three years but more importantly have a 15-year total usable life before they can no longer be certified and must be replaced. The systems they have in Clearbrook were put into service in 2006 making them 14 years old. Each SCBA costs an estimated $5,000 with the spare tanks with valves costing an additional $1500 each. They are exploring funding options through available grants and other financing but will most certainly have to come up with a portion of the funds on their own. The money raised during the various fundraising events this year will be used to begin to defray the replacement cost of our SCBA’s.
Support from community members and businesses like you is a vital component to the continued operation of the volunteer fire department. They could not do it without the public support, and they cannot thank you enough for your past and future support!
In past years they have sold $5.00 tickets for a chance to win $100. With the fish fry postponement, they have decided to focus exclusively on the big raffle instead. Again, please consider either a donation to the Clearbrook Fire Department or an individual or joint purchase of a $100 ticket for the chance at the big $10,000 payoff!
If you would like to make a donation to their fundraiser, please send your donation to the “Clearbrook Volunteer Fire Department”; PO Box 62, Clearbrook, MN 56634. All donations are tax deductible! And don’t forget to check them out on Facebook!
NOTE: Please remember to dial 911 for any and all emergencies INCLUDING FIRES.