MIDDLEPORT - The Citizens Fire Company No. 1 wants to raise more than $17,000 to buy a new fire truck.
The company has one truck, a 1985 Mack, that is 28 feet long and holds 750 gallons of water. The company has owned it since 2007, according to Todd Amos, fire company president.
"It came from Mount Penn down on the other side of Reading," Amos said Thursday. "They used it heavily. They got a lot more calls than what we do. It's in bad shape. It's leaking multiple fluids, such as anti-freeze and oil and transmission fluid. Aside from that, the electrical system is really bad in it. When we put the truck in reverse, sometimes the beeper sounds. Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes the lights work. Sometimes they don't."
Aside from that, the company only has a "brush truck" that is used to battle brush fires, he said.
The company is looking to buy a 2013 Crimson Legend brand fire truck that is 31 feet long and can hold 1,500 gallons of water, Amos said.
"We usually get 12 to 15 calls a year on average," Amos said. "If we get a new truck, we'll probably be able to respond to structure fires in other communities too."
The company has 15 members. Its coverage area includes the borough, New Philadelphia and Walker Township.
"Our big fundraiser is coming up, our block party," Amos said.
With food, games, rides and live music, the event will be 5 to 11 p.m. Sept. 28 and noon to 11 p.m. Sept. 29 concluding with a fireworks show by Bixler Pyrotechnics, Valley View.
"Looking ahead, we'll also be doing a dinner plus other fundraisers," Amos said.
The fire company runs on donations, and Amos said anyone wishing to support to the fire company's truck fund can mail donations to P.O. Box 219 Middleport, PA 17953.
In June, the fire company applied for a $17,000 Assistance to Firefighters Grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"If we are awarded the grant, we need to come up with 5 percent of the total cost of the truck," Amos said.