New Holland Fire Protection District uses grant to decrease
personnel response time in emergencies
A simple
text message can save a life
Mason
City Monsanto site supports local organization
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[September
23, 2013]
NEW HOLLAND -- Many people
use text messaging for communicating social information, but they may not
realize that text messaging can help save lives. Thanks to the Mason City
Monsanto, the New Holland Fire Protection District will be able to purchase
a supplemental emergency alert notification and response system. Using a
$3,000 grant from the Monsanto Fund, the dispatch center can now send text
messages to first responders about an emergency in the area. |
The New Holland Fire Protection
District, a nonprofit in New Holland, was founded in 1948 and is
staffed by 25 volunteer firefighters. The district will use the
grant to decrease personnel response time to emergencies.
"Our department is very
appreciative of the Monsanto Fund's support," said Todd David,
co-chief of the New Holland Fire Department. "This grant will
directly impact the members of our community."
The fire station sits on the
outside edge of the department's radio range, so some volunteers do
not receive emergency pages. The new emergency alert notification
and response system monitors the radio and sends a text to all
personnel if there is an emergency in the area. Firefighters can
then choose different codes to text back, which will notify the
station about their response status.
"The people in New Holland and the
surrounding area rely on the volunteers to protect their businesses,
homes and families," said John Endsley, Mason City Monsanto site
lead. "We thought the fire department was deserving of this grant
because these volunteers put their lives at risk to make sure our
community is safe."
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column] |
This year, the Monsanto Fund awarded 127 site
grants to nonprofit organizations in 26 states. In Illinois alone, 18 site
grants were awarded and totaled $201,100. The Monsanto Fund continues to provide
support to organizations such as the New Holland Fire Protection District to
help strengthen communities where farmers and Monsanto employees live and work. |