Story originally printed in the Coulee News or online at www.couleenews.com

Published - Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Bangor First Responders seeking new home

By ANNE JUNGEN | Lee Newspapers

The Bangor First Responders still need the public’s help to raise money for a new equipment storage building they want to have up by fall 2009.

The department’s gear — including oxygen tanks and medical and trauma supplies — and the Chevy Suburban retrofitted as an emergency response vehicle now are housed in the decommissioned Bangor school garage.

“The building is deteriorating,” said Bangor First Responder trustee Terry Beron.

The dilapidated school building is not suitable for temperature-sensitive medical equipment such as the defibrillator and thermometers, he said.

The department last year began working to raise $150,000 for a lot and building. It’s at $70,000 now, and Beron hopes to reach the goal by spring.

The planned 40-by-80-foot, one-level structure will have a training classroom and garage for storage. The building is scheduled to be completed by October, and the department looks to community members to lend their construction skills, Beron said.

The 19 volunteer first responders handle medical calls in Bangor and the immediate surrounding towns. The new building will guarantee they can continue to “meet the needs of the community in an emergency situation,” Beron said.