Garden City Co-op Provides Life-Saving Equipment To Local Fire Departments

GARDEN CITY, KANSAS, The Garden City Co-op announced today a $3,600 grant to local emergency response services:  Lane County/City Fire Department, Holcomb Fire Department, Kearny County Fire & Rescue and the Garden City Fire Department. The funds will support our fire departments to be better equipped to handle emergencies that are unfortunately far too common in rural America.

“Thanks to a matching grant from CHS, we are happy to provide grain rescue tubes, which can be used to help rescue someone in a grain engulfment, to our area fire departments,” said Grant Geyer, Safety Director of the Garden City Co-op.  “The fire departments help protect our local farmers and patrons and we are thankful for the opportunity to provide them with another tool for their job. 

As mentioned by Geyer, in addition to the funds contributed by The Garden City Co-op, the contribution will be matched dollar for dollar by a CHS Seeds for Stewardship grant, which helps cooperatives grow their impact locally. Together more than $7,200 will benefit these four emergency response departments.

“The Garden City Co-op and CHS came together to purchase the grain rescue tubes,” remarked Toby Wilson, Chief Operations Officer of the Garden City Co-op.  “Two co-ops doing what the cooperative business model was designed to do; support and give back to the local communities.  It’s great to be part of the cooperative business model.”

“On behalf of the Lane Co Fire Department we would like to thank the Garden City Co-op for their generous donation of the Cofferdam (Grain Rescue Tube)”, said Billie Barnett, Emergency Manager with the Lane County Emergency Management & Fire Dept.  “The Lane Co Community and our rural farming community will benefit from the Cofferdam in the case of a grain bin rescue situation. This will be a valued addition to our small county rescue team.