Hubbard Rotary donates land to help fire department

HUBBARD, O hio (WKBN) — Hubbard Rotary Club donated a small tract of land to the Eagle Joint Fire District late last week, and the parcel is going to help the city in a big way.

The Rotary donated $7,000 to EJFD to purchase a stretch of land beside the fire department.

“What is more important than our health, welfare and safety of our community? ” said Robin Zambrini with the rotary. “This can help them grow or to get out of their fire department facilities a little bit easier then and get somewhere a minute or so earlier. You can’t beat that.”

The department will do a feasibility study on the land to try to figure out the best use for it, but they have a few ideas.

“The property here for future use is going to be wonderful because of the fact that you will not only have access to 616 over here, you also will have the availability for possibly future use of a building to house the ambulances or maybe even the fire units, the fire trucks,” said Rick Hernandez, chairman of the EJFD board of trustees.

Right now, the department can’t fit all its equipment inside its current building. The department is also working toward finding a use for a building that was formerly a barbershop, which was donated to the EJFD by the Carano family.

Over the years, the department has grown from a small volunteer organization to part-time and now has seven full-time firefighters and paramedics, plus Chief Ron Stanish. Senior Captain John Bizub says none of that would be possible without the community’s ongoing support.

“I’m so proud of the fact that we have the support from the community and being able to see that we have a need,” Bizub said. “Also the people in the department — they’re the same way. We’re all brothers, we all stick together, and we’re trying to make it better.”

Hernandez thanked everyone involved for their hard work

“I just want to commend the firefighters, the district, the Eagle Joint Fire District, how well that the board has worked with the district to be able to make all this come to fruition,” Hernandez said.

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