Fourmile Fire Department to hold community benefit yard sale July 24

Published 2:58 pm Monday, July 12, 2010

The Fourmile Volunteer Fire Department is selling everything, including two kitchen sinks, at a community benefit yard sale beginning at 8 a.m. July 24 at the fire station at 941 Shelby County 55.

The fire department’s goal is to raise enough money to purchase a set of Jaws of Life, which cost $35,000.

“Every fire department needs the Jaws of Life,” said Judith Whorton, a Wilsonville citizen who first became acquainted with the fire department when a power pole exploded near her house.

FVFD Treasurer Rosemary Stroud agreed that the Jaws of Life are necessary, but said their cost would be a “tremendous undertaking.”

Stroud related a story about an accident on Shelby County 25 that required the Jaws of Life to extract the victim from an automobile.

“We had to call the Columbiana Fire Department, which is 30 minutes away, to assist us,” Stroud said.

“That was the first time the need for the Jaws reared its head,” she said.

The victim in the accident didn’t survive.

“We’d have to have a lot of small donations or some large ones to be able to afford more than $30 thousand,” Stroud said. “If anyone wanted to donate money specifically to pay for the Jaws of Life, we’d certainly put that in a Jaws of Life fund.”

The Fourmile Volunteer Fire Department is completely volunteer-run, including everything from the people who work there to the expensive equipment necessary to save lives.

“The money we raise is all funding for the upkeep of the station, equipment and education for the firefighters,” said Sally Farmer, chairman of the FVFD board.

Items for sale include everything from table linens to books to furniture. The FVFD also encourages people from the community to bring in items to sell.

“If you need something unloaded, we’ll have people to do it for you,” Stroud said.

People who come to the yard sale can enjoy low prices on a variety of items, as well as ice-cold watermelon and ice cream, Whorton said.