OVFD Firemen’s Ball at the Berkley Barn schedule is as follows: Silent auction: 4 to 6 pm; pig pickin’ $20 per plate 4:30 to 6: 30; Live auction: 6:30 pm followed by music by the Dune Dogs and special guests.
By Peter Vankevich
Editor’s note: 19th Annual Firemen’s Ball is May 23 and is the department’s most important and fun fundraiser.
With the recent purchase of new ladder and brush trucks, the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department (OVFD) is upgrading its fleet, said Albert O’Neal, the organization’s long-time fire chief.
The department has acquired a Ford F-550 brush truck equipped with a 400-gallon water tank, replacing an older model that is now listed for sale.
Customized by Midwest Fire and purchased in Luverne, Minnesota, the new vehicle was designed with input from the OVFD for improved reliability and maneuverability in tight spaces. It represents a significant enhancement to the department’s emergency response capabilities.
With a 400-gallon tank, it doubles the water capacity compared to the current truck.
said Jeff Dippold, a firefighter who also serves as treasurer. “And because it’s smaller, it’ll do really well in the tight spaces here.”
Assistant Fire Chief Ernie Doshier said the truck has a more dependable pump system with two main hoses and allows distribution from a front bumper outlet that can be controlled by a joystick while moving, a critical feature when combating brush fires.
Dippold and his wife Susan drove the diesel-powered truck 1,500 miles from Luverne to Ocracoke.
In addition to the brush truck, OVFD also received a new ladder truck.
The department found a used truck outside Chicago that features a 105-foot ladder with a platform, offering greater versatility and reach compared to the current 50-foot ladder.
OVFD pursued a used ladder truck because a new one can cost up to $2 million. The ladder truck cost $195,000, while the new brush truck cost $280,000.
Last year, the Stedman Volunteer Fire Department near Fayetteville donated a high-water rescue truck to the OVFD.
This beach-worthy, five-ton truck could play a vital role in emergencies when the road washes out at the north end making other vehicles inaccessible.
Pumper engineer Lt. Vann O’Neal and safety officer Bob Despo maintain all the trucks and customize the new trucks.
With the additions, OVFD will maintain a fleet of nine operational vehicles, a far cry from when Chief O’Neal joined and there were just two outdated trucks.
The department plans to display both trucks at the annual Fireman’s Ball on the evening of May 23 at the Berkley Barn, the major fundraising event that helps offset equipment costs.
An all-volunteer organization, the OVFD is Ocracoke Island’s only resource for firefighting.
To keep the island safe, Ocracoke must have the best equipment and all personnel ready to go as help from any other fire department is at least two hours away, which puts the island in a very vulnerable position.
Community support remains critical, funding for OVFD is primarily from a combination of the Fireman’s Ball, occupancy tax allocations, a Hyde County allocation, T-shirt sales, donations and grants.
