By Aaron Aupperlee
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
CLENDENIN, W.Va. — The volunteer firefighters in Clendenin, W.Va., weren’t around to save their equipment as the Elk River poured over its banks, flooding their fire station and their town.
They were busy in neighboring communities where flooding already was worse, rescuing people trapped in their homes.
The ruined gear at their station included air packs that cost thousands of dollars and about $6,000 in gear that had just been ordered and was still in boxes at the station. Fire trucks left at the station were moved to high ground before the flooding started, but little else was saved.
“We lost every bit of gear -- jackets, helmets, pants -- we lost every bit of it that we had,” said Shana Trippett of the Clendenin Volunteer Fire Department.
Clendenin was one of several West Virginia towns devastated by floods last week. Twenty-three people died. The Federal Emergency Management Agency declared disasters in 10 counties. Homes were swept away. Businesses were ruined. In Clendenin, a town of about 1,200, the Diary Queen collapsed.
When Bridgeville firefighter Jim Altvater and other firefighters at the small Western Pennsylvania volunteer department about 200 miles north of Clendenin heard about the destruction and the losses, they said they knew they had to help.
Altvater said he remembers the floods in Bridgeville two years ago and the support the community received.
The firefighters reached out to neighboring departments seeking donations of gear, cleaning supplies, flashlights and batteries. The response, Altvater said, has been overwhelming.
“We’re all in the business of helping people,” Altvater, president of the Bridgeville department, said.
Fire departments in Mt. Lebanon, Cecil, Carnegie and Upper St. Clair have donated used but still certified and safe gear. The McKeesport Fire Station No. 2 plans to drop off 30 air packs that they just replaced. More departments are gathering toothbrushes, toothpaste and other supplies, Altvater said.
Altvater and fellow firefighters plan to drive to Clendenin July 8 to drop off the gear.
Trippett said the Clendenin department needs the air packs from McKeesport but has replaced most of its gear. Other departments in the area are still in need, Trippett said, and the Clendenin department offered to distribute the donated gear to them.
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