‘We try to help each other out’: Veterans groups make donation to St. Charles Fire Department
Four St. Charles veterans organizations have partnered to donate new training equipment for St. Charles Fire Department firefighters.
American Legion Post 342, Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 693, American Veterans Post 503 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5036 all contributed to the $1,200 cost of a new training mannequin.
Leaders of the organizations handed individual checks to Fire Chief Scott Swanson last week at Fire Station 1.
Swanson said the mannequin is a great training tool that will allow firefighters to simulate rescue scenarios without the risk of injury to real people. He said the new mannequin was needed, as their old equipment is out of date and would often break during training exercises.
The 154-pound mannequin will be used by the fire department in training exercises such as river rescue, building searches and technical rescues.
To simulate search-and-rescue events, the mannequin will be placed inside a building that is then filled with smoke and strobe lights to simulate a fire. Firefighters then search the building to find the mannequin and carry it to safety.
American Legion member John DePauw said back in the 1960s and 1970s, the St. Charles post donated to the fire and police departments often, but it has been many years since they were last able to contribute. He said they are aiming to reestablish that tradition, and this will be one of many donations made in the coming years.
St. Charles Veteran Center member Mike Foulkes and American Legion Commander Joe Morgan were the main organizers of the donation. They reached out to the fire department to see what they might need, and each organization was eager to contribute.
“We try to help each other out,” Swanson said. “We help them host Veterans Day and Memorial Day ceremonies, and they reached out looking for a way to do something for us.”
Morgan said after hearing that the fire department needed a mannequin, they reached out to each post to start gathering donations. He said the funds come mainly from their poppy sale donations and member contributions.