Excerpts from the JournalStandard.com:
Stockton Fire Chief Randy Baysinger said he is confident that his department is ready and able to respond to a fire or an emergency, despite the fire that ravaged the firehouse Thursday.
The late-morning fire severely damaged the building, trucks, and gear that were stored inside — six trucks, a trailer and an ATV. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, and Baysinger said final determination will be made to see if the equipment can be repaired or needs to be replaced.
“Within two hours of our fire, we had equipment from other communities, which we needed to respond to an emergency,” Baysinger said. “We want the community of Stockton to know we are still here. We are damaged, but we have what we need, thanks to others, to be able to keep them safe and be there in their time of need.”
Area fire departments have loaned the department of 30 volunteers eight spare trucks and equipment, which is being housed in a nearby building. The fire departments of German Valley, Shannon, and Scales Mound loaned them trucks and equipment. Gear was also donated from Davis, Lena, Mount Morris, Pearl City, and Polo.
He said he has heard from at least 50 other fire departments in the Midwest to see what they need.
“In emergency services you don’t hear a lot of thank-yous and sometimes you think the public takes you for granted, but it is obvious that it couldn’t be further from the truth,” Baysinger said. “People are calling from at least 100 miles away to help. It means a lot to me and the guys in the department.”
The help hasn’t stopped pouring in, either. On the day of the fire, Rick Barkau, dealer principal of Barkau Automotive, handed Baysinger a check after the fire. During the month of March, his dealership plans to donate $100 to the Stockton Fire Department for every car sold at his dealership. Chrysler plans to match the $100 for every Chrysler vehicle sold.
“Truly what really tugs at me about the fire is these guys have been there for us and the community, and they are all volunteers,” Barkau said. “I’m hoping to take them a check for $7,500 by next month. I look at our monthly average. It’s what we can do for a department that puts their lives on the line for this community. I came back after seeing that fire, and I was sick to my stomach.”
The Warren Fire Department plans to donate money they raised from their monthly steak fry to the Stockton Fire Department. The fry was held Saturday, and Warren Fire Chief Jeff Ege said they ran out of steaks and had to buy more. Some 325 steaks were served, and Ege is still tallying the money raised from the night.
