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Springville Volunteer Fire Company holds blessing ceremony for new trucks



SPRINGVILLE – To help celebrate new trucks being added to the Springville Volunteer Fire Company’s fleet, firefighters from the department and members of the community came out to a truck blessing ceremony on June 17. 

Firefighters and members of the community gathered around the new Engine #1 pumper for a blessing of the new trucks at the Springville Volunteer Fire Company. Pastor Stan Handzlik led the blessing of the two new trucks.

Springville Volunteer Fire Company Chaplain Jim Jozwiak kicked off the blessing ceremony by talking about the many traditions among fire departments and the different ways fire departments bless their new trucks. For Springville’s blessing, they conducted a call-in service, where Chief Marc Gentner called the two trucks out of service and ceremoniously called them back in service at the end of the ceremony. 

“The fire service is very rich in traditions and one of the traditions is the blessing of the trucks,” Jozwiak said. “Everything is really rich in culture and tradition.”

Pastor Stan Handzlik of the Springville Assembly of God Church conducted the blessing of the two trucks. Before performing a blessing for the firefighters and the new trucks, Handzlik thanked the Springville Volunteer Fire Company for their commitment to the local community. Handzlik also talked about his own personal experience with the Springville Volunteer Fire Company coming to help the Springville Assembly of God Church, in which he thanked the many firefighters who would come and respond even if it turned out to be a false alarm.   

The 7-1 pickup up truck is blessed during the ceremony.

“I’m so glad and thankful for the Springville Volunteer Fire Company,” Handzlik said. “It might be a false alarm, might be a working fire, might be a crash on Main Street … but no matter what it is, you are out there with your commitment to the community with the opportunity to put your professional training and though you are volunteers, you bring professional service to the community as volunteers and we thank you for that. You are there 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and we thank you for that.”

Gentner said the new Engine #1 pumper will be a big help to the fire company and a needed upgrade over the old Engine #1, which will help with response times and fighting fires. The new 7-1 pickup truck will help better transport people, equipment and tools to the scene, will be more economical when going to smaller incidents like a tree down or traffic control and is able to get into places with limited access where a large pumper cannot. 

With the many firefighters and community members coming out to the ceremony, Gentner said the turnout was great and he appreciated everyone who came out. Gentner also thanked the Village of Springville for all their help getting the new trucks and everything they do to help with the needs of the fire company. 

“The Village Board has been 100 percent behind us,” Gentner said. “Basically anything we need, we tell them and they work with us 100 percent. You have to have a good working relationship between the two to make things happen and they definitely make things happen.”

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