ADA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Firefighters from across the globe rallied together to donate a fire engine to a department hit by tragedy.
WOODtv reported that the Ada Township Fire Department donated their engine to the Abbott (Texas) Volunteer Fire Department following a fertilizer plant explosion in West.
“We have trucks that are 18 years old that are in great shape. This one’s 20-years-old. It’s going to be wonderful,” Ada Township Fire Department Lt. David Murray said.
Some of the firefighters left Wednesday morning to drive the truck to Texas and train the Abbott firefighters on how to use it, according to the report.
The money for the trip was raised by selling T-shirts — which started out with just 50 shirts. After the word got out, they sold nearly 1,500 shirts to people in 14 states and overseas in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan, according to the report.
Lt. Murray says the department was only looking for about $3,000 to fund the trip to Abbott, but they have raised about four times that amount.
“So besides going in with this truck — that’s probably 20 years newer than what they did have — they’re also going to get a big check that’s nearly what their annual budget is,” Murray said.
A Michigan graphics company also updated the graphics on the fire truck to read “Abbott Fire Department,” according to the report.
The firefighters have documented their journey to Abbott on their Facebook page and are still selling the T-shirts. To order yours, you can visit their Facebook page for more information or by calling 616-676-2376.