Makanda Township 517 Memorial Fundraiser
Date/Time
Date(s) - 09/24/2022
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Location
Makanda Township Station #2
Categories
The Makanda Township Fire Department (MTFD) will host the first 517 Memorial Fundraiser Saturday, September 24, 2022, 9 am – 4 pm. The event will be held at the Makanda Township Fire Station #2, 5975 Giant City Road, south of Carbondale. The event will include silent auction items, vendors, food truck, instruction for children on exiting a building in case of fire, and hands-on instruction for adults and older children to operate a fire extinguisher.
The 517 Memorial Fund got its name from Lt. Brian Pierce, whose MTFD badge number was 517. Brian was an MTFD volunteer firefighter and first responder who was killed August 4, 2021, while on duty as a police officer in the Metro East area. Brian’s passion for training led to him use his own money in becoming a certified fire investigator, and also conduct weekly training sessions for new recruits. While MTFD pays for offsite course tuition, travel expenses are covered by the volunteer. The fundraiser will help offset volunteers’ travel expenses to attend offsite courses.
The Makanda Township Fire Department began in 1977. One person is paid; all other members are volunteers. MTFD responds to over 150 calls annually on average. Questions about becoming a volunteer or the department can be directed to MTFD Assistant Chief Josh Lipe at lipejw@gmail.com.
Inquiries about the event, becoming a vendor, operating a food truck or donating silent auction items can go to Larra Lipe at Larralipefb@gmail.com.