Newsletter

In order for the police, medical personnel, or Fire Co. to help you, we must be able to find you. When seconds and minutes can mean the difference in an emergency, trying to find house numbers quickly and easily becomes a chore. Trying to read black or brass numbers on a wooden post in the dark is frustrating to say the least. Because we want to get to you as quickly as possible the Fire Co. is undertaking a project to sell house numbers that are mounted on a green plate with white-highly reflextive numbers. They are on both sides and can be mounted on your mailbox post so that they can be seen from either direction. This is also a fundraiser for us so you would be helping yourself and the Fire Co. at the same time.

Our 60th Anniversary was celebrated with the annual banquet on March 27th. We are proud of the fact that we have been in existence that long in this community. Much has changed since 1944 but we are still devoted to the safety and well being of Bethel Twp.

Because of an incident that occured during the last power outage, we want to reinforce the safe way to use protable generators. Carbon Monoxide is the number one killer poison. It is colorless, odorless, and can kill if not detected quickly so you should have CO detectors in your home. Gas powered generators, just like automobiles, give off CO while running. Therefore, you should never operate any gas driven device inside your home. Always keep them outside with the exhaust pointed away from any door or window. Put the generator on a firm, level, and dry surface. Use outdoor extension cords of adequate size to handle the load. Do not overload the geneator. The homeowner who ran his generator in the basement was very lucky that someone came home before it was too late.

We realize that many of you, who have just moved into the area may have had paid fire service where you lived before. This is not the case with Bethel Township. Bethel Hose Co. No. 1 is strictly a volunteer company. Some of your neighbors are probably members. We raise money through our annual drive and other fundraisers. The township fire tax is only used for the purchase of new equipment. Therefore, we are always looking for new members both as fire fighters and as workers behind the scene. We also look to you for support to help us better serve you. Fire equipment is not cheap; a new truck witll cost in the range of $300,000 to $500,000 depending on the equipment for it. This is for a pumper, specialty trucks like ladder-trucks, rescue trucks, and such can cost much more. The cost of personal gear can be as much as $1500 to $2000 per person.

As you can see, it is expensive to keep a company going but it would be more then you would want to pay to have a paid fire company in Bethel Twp. So we are asking any of you who would like to five some of you time and skills to help others to come and join us. It is cery rewarding.

House numbers should be 3'' high and reflexive. This is necessary so that your home can be readily identified in case of an emergency. Trying to locate house numbers, especially in the dark, only slows down emergency responders if they are not visible. Please help us to help better.