Morongo Valley serves as the Gateway to the Morongo Basin, with thousands of vehicles passing through every day. The Morongo Valley Fire Department is the first on the scene for most crashes on the western end of Highway 62, but the town’s two fire engines are 13 and 24 years old—too old to be dependable in emergencies. The Community Services District has started a fund-raising campaign to raise money to buy a new fire engine. Managing editor Tami Roleff gives an update on the Highway Heroes campaign…
Seven weeks ago, the Morongo Valley Fire Department started its Highway Heroes campaign to raise $500,000 for a new fire engine. Morongo Valley Community Services District Vice President Kristina Brook, who also serves as the campaign’s spokesperson, said the story of the fire department’s fundraising campaign has spread nationally, and the Fire Department has heard from several fire engine manufacturers who have offered discounts of up to $100,000 on a new engine. While the fire department’s GoFundMe webpage says the fire department has raised about $6,000, Brook said the total is actually $15,000, due to people who have mailed checks to the department. Brook apologized for the delay in sending out the incentives promised for donations, saying that they have been ordered from Los Angeles-based companies and will take four to six weeks to receive. The tiny fire department is planning special fund-raising events in the future; check its GoFundMe page at a link in this story for more information.
$15,000 DOWN, $385,000 TO GO FOR MORONGO VALLEY FIRE ENGINE
