05/30/2025
On May 31/25 Virden is having their Town Wide Garage Sale. During this time Virden Station 1 is going to be holding an Open House and BBQ fundraiser at Station 1 Fire Hall.
Currently we are raising funds to replace/upgrade our communication system which consists of truck apparatus mounted CB radios, truck apparatus mounted Interprovincial radios, hand held intrinsically safe water/fire resistant walkie talkies, and hand held interprovincial radios. The vast majority of our handheld radios are 15-20+ years old and constantly breaking or malfunctioning. This is a major issue because these radios are literally a life line to crews on the fire ground and with out them there is no possible communication between the inside/outside crews creating a huge safety risk. This can become a life threatening risk if fire conditions change, a crew member is injured/trapped in a building, or any other multitudes of scenarios as that information can not be relayed. There are approximately about 20+ hand held radios that need to be replaced.
We are also in need of a number of Interprovincial radios which operate on cell towers. These radios have many different uses which consist of : our Primary communication between 911 when responding to calls, and are used over long distances to communicate between apparatuses, Fire Departments in our Mutual Aid, EMS Services, and the RCMP.
This system replacement does come at a cost tho of approx. $70,000 that increases all the time with inflation. Recently we received from the Virden Area Foundation a grant for $35,000 to put towards this system which we are immensely great full for.
So come on down, say hi and go for a tour of the hall and trucks, fill out a fire fighter job application, get a beverage or bite to eat when you need a break! Every little bit counts and we are extremely thankful for this community's support!!!
