(KLZA)-- A $20-thousand donation is going to help upgrade the Falls City Volunteer Fire Department's  recently purchased Tower 1, platform fire truck. 

In a release from the Department, Fireman Jon McQueen noted that Amalia Pizzagalli Morehead had made the donation on December 20.  The donation will be used to upgrade the LED lights on the 95-foot truck purchased from Burlington, Vermont last year.  The truck has been in service since April.

The pre-inspection report on the 2003 truck suggested that with all the advance technology of LED lights, if purchased, the department should  look to do an upgrade. 

With more than 125 lights the cost to replace the most important ones including all the light bars,  front and rear warning lights along with four telescoping white scene lights and the buckets spot light was estimated between 25 and 50-thousand dollars.  

The Department has been pushing to replace all the emergency and white scene lights to relieve the strain on the electrical system and its generator using the current quartz  halogen lights. 

New, the truck cost $800-thousand. Falls City was able to purchase the truck from the Burlington Fire Department for $80-thousand and its expected to be in service for more than 15 years in Falls City.  

Mrs. Morehead is from Burlington, Vermont and noted in her card to McQueen that she has always had a “soft spot in her heart for the fire department and the police” for the dangerous work they perform.  She noted that she hoped others would contribute as well.

The Fire Department is in hopes or receiving $30-thousand in donations so they can have the work performed in Falls City rather than taking the truck to Omaha to a company specializing in upgrades of emergency equipment. 

The Falls City Volunteer Fire Department has filed papers to become a 501 (c) (3) Non-Profit Volunteer Fire Company so donations to the Department are tax deductible.

The goal is to have the upgrades started in March.

If you wish to donate, you can make checks to the Falls City Volunteer Fire Department and mail them to 2207 Barada Street in Falls City.