As if helping to safeguard the lives and property of their community’s citizens was not enough, Berlin Volunteer Fire Department recently held an open house to treat residents with free food and drink and give them an inside look at the equipment their volunteers use in their day-to-day operations.

Berlin Fire Chief Ralph Laney said his department is grateful to the community for their support and wished to “give something back” through the open house, which was held Saturday, April 19, 2008, at the Berlin Baptist Church.

“We wanted to let the community know we appreciate all of their help and the donations they’ve given us since 1975 when we organized,” Laney said. “Right now, we’re in better shape than we’ve ever been thanks to their support and the grants we’ve received the last few years.”

In 2003, Berlin VFD received a grant for $40,021, which was used to buy a “smoke trailer,” an educational tool that the department uses to teach local students about fire and tornado safety. In 2007, the department received a grant for $128,492 to purchase 20 sets of turnout gear, air tanks, a mobile tank filling station, radios and extrication tools.

Both grants were part of the Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Program and were written and filed for Berlin by the Cullman County Economic Development office, which operates under the auspices of the Cullman County Commission.

“These grants have helped us tremendously,” Laney said. “Our old gear was getting frayed and we were having to drive 10 miles or more one way to fill our bottles. We couldn’t come up with that kind of money on our own.”