Kudos to the Buffalo Township firefighters who offered people a charge during a blackout
As of Thursday evening, May 1, West Penn Power said 2,153 of its customers in Butler County were still without power. During that time, the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company, 565 Sarver Road, did have power, and so did its neighbors in need.
The storms that knocked out the electricity of thousands of residents of Butler County Tuesday evening, April 29, left some people in the dark for days. Not only are those days long without the usual electronic methods to pass the time available, they can be frightening for even those who aren’t afraid of the dark.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, refrigerators can keep food cold for about four hours if it is unopened, and a full freezer will keep its temperature for about 48 hours if the door remains closed. There is no doubt that some people lost some or all of their cold storage items over the past few days because their refrigerators would not hold their temperatures for the duration of their power outage. That’s nothing to say of modern cellphones, whose charges may only last a few hours, even when they go unused.
The Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company announced that its facilities would not only welcome people in need of a charge during the blackout, but it had food stocked for those in need of a meal or two.
Tabitha Lucas with the fire company said the company received donations from residents providing food, but from businesses as well. Sheetz gave the company about 250 hot dogs and buns; Giant Eagle brought some bottled water; Starbucks donated coffee; and Vocelli donated pizza.
This outpouring of support was a hand up to anyone who was left with a powerless fridge or dying cellphone battery after Tuesday. Lucas commented that the fire company would remain open even if just one person needed to go in to charge their phone.
It’s nice to know that volunteer fire companies can offer some help to the community, even when the emergency is with weather instead of fire.
— ET
