Pictures

Johnson Fire Department has suffered a tremendous loss of equipment and the Fire house due to the early Sunday (February 8, 2004) morning fire. Though the Fire Department is a Village owned department, the Town shares in the huge sense of loss as felt by the Village community, all of the department membership and department auxiliary.

Yet again this community is tested for its resilience. From those ashes will come a Fire department stronger, greater, and more admired than even before. The loss was felt in items gone for ever, and not in community spirit.

The Village Trustees and Town Selectboard had an emergency meeting Sunday afternoon to be briefed on the situation, and advised to the status, by Chief Gordie Smith. Some items of interest:

• Nobody was hurt
• Cause of the Fire at this time is still under investigation
• Building is a complete loss
• 1935 Reo Fire Truck will be salvageable
• Other trucks are in various levels of salvageability
• Community Fire protection was maintained by surrounding communities
• Fire Station is being setup in the new Village/Town building purchased last year.
• Fire Department was back in service Sunday evening, thanks to donated trucks, equipment, etc. from surrounding communities
  

For those wishing to make donations for the rebuilding effort, the contact person is Veronica Charette (head of the women's auxiliary) at 635-8388, or mail a check to:

JFD
P.O. Box 25
Johnson, Vermont 05656.

We hope to get up a Web site with information on how things are progressing, items needed, etc. in the rebuilding effort of the Johnson Fire Department.

Eric Osgood, SelectBoard Chair