The Liverpool fire department is better prepared for the next disaster.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ve just received a $10,000 donation from the Liverpool Firefighter Ladies Auxiliary to equip their station with everything from cots, blankets and pillows to phone charging cords.<\/p>\n
Auxiliary president Becky Munroe says the department quickly realized they were under-equipped when Hurricane Dorian hit in 2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe region didn\u2019t help us with anything or EMO didn\u2019t help us with anything so we decided, well, we\u2019re not going to be caught with nothing here,\u201d said Munroe.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when the Ladies Auxiliary stepped up to get the money to purchase the equipment the department determined it needed.<\/p>\n
Because COVID-19 cancelled most of the auxiliary\u2019s traditional fundraising events, the group had to move their efforts online.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe couldn\u2019t have bingo, we couldn\u2019t have flea markets, we couldn\u2019t do anything at the hall because you weren\u2019t allowed,\u201d said Munroe. \u201cThere was no way of raising funds for the fire department at all so we looked into this crowd-funding on Facebook and we decided that that\u2019s what we\u2019d go with.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was a pleasant surprise for the group when the totals from this new way of fundraising surpassed all their previous efforts. Munroe says the auxiliary has raised $10,000 since they moved online in June. She attributes the increase to meeting people where they are.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the younger generation really don\u2019t want to come out. They\u2019d like to support but they\u2019d like to do it on their iPhone or their iPad or their phone or whatever they\u2019ve got. I don\u2019t want to come to your function, but I\u2019ll donate,\u201d said Munroe.<\/p>\n
Munroe says she and the members of the auxiliary felt it was important to buy equipment to assist the public during a disaster because the money came from the public so it should assist the public.<\/p>\n
While the bingo and flea markets are back on, Munroe says they are going to continue crowd-funding on Facebook.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs just a lot of work. It\u2019s on a computer a lot but it\u2019s well worth it. I love the fire service,\u201d said Munroe. \u201cMy son is the chief, my husband is a captain, my daughter is the vice-president of the auxiliary, my son-in-law is a firefighter in the department, my two grandchildren are in the junior fire department, it\u2019s a family affair.\u201d<\/p>\n
And for Munroe, that makes the effort worthwhile.<\/p>\n
Since 1968 the Ladies Auxiliary has raised approximately $250,000 for the Liverpool fire service.<\/p>\n
Munroe says people don\u2019t understand the costs involved with outfitting firefighters with the protective gear they need to serve the community. That\u2019s why she and the other members of the auxiliary will continue working to raise money to equip the department with the tools they need.<\/p>\n