Winner Of Orange Fire Raffle To Be Chosen At Aug. 2 Event

The following Orange Volunteer Fire Association release was written by Doug Fenichel, APR, EMT-P:

ORANGE, CT — The winner of a $10,000 Visa card and five other prizes will be announced at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 2 at the Orange Fairgrounds, the culmination of an afternoon event sponsored by the The event takes place on the afternoon that should have been the last day of the Fire Department’s annual carnival. It also will be part of the department’s celebration of its 95th anniversary. The carnival was canceled because of the coronavirus health emergency.

“The carnival is the Fire Department’s primary source of operating revenue, but because of the health emergency, we had to cancel it,” said Fire Chief Vaughan Dumas. “We continued with our annual raffle and, as always, the people of Orange have been wonderfully supportive.

“People have recognized how important it is to support these fundraising efforts,” added Dumas. “Our goal is to provide dependable fire protection to the Town of Orange while avoiding a tax burden on businesses and residents. The raffle and other fund-raising efforts are vitally important to the continued success of the Orange Volunteer Fire Department.”

Tickets are still available at Knights Power Equipment, 286 Boston Post Road; Town Hall and online at https://orangevfd.org/raffle-tickets/. Prizes include Visa cards worth as much as $10,000, gift certificates and an iPad. The donation for each ticket is $5. Ticket holders don’t have to be present to win.

The relaxation of state rules about public gatherings enabled the planning of the afternoon celebration that starts at 2 p.m. Proper social distancing and the wearing of masks will be required.

The afternoon will begin with an exhibition of the department’s apparatus. Firefighters will be on hand to explain the trucks and equipment. Among the vehicles on display will be the newest truck, Quint-32.

“We purchased this piece to replace another truck that no longer met safety and performance standards,” said Dumas. “It responds to a lot of alarms and gives our firefighters a lot of flexibility. This is the truck that the $50,000 Fire Truck Challenge is supporting and I encourage people to come see what an exciting and important piece of equipment this is.”

Firefighters will demonstrate their skills at rescuing people from automobile crashes in a 3 p.m. demonstration.

The drawing ceremony will start at 4:15 p.m. with messages of thanks from Dumas and other town dignitaries. The winning tickets will be drawn at 4:30 p.m. by Platinum sponsors of the Fire Truck Challenge.

“Even though we had to cancel our carnival, I’m glad we’ll be able to share this afternoon with residents,” said Dumas. “For 95 years, we’ve lived by our Neighbors Helping Neighbors slogan and we’ve enjoyed the support of our neighbors. We’re glad to show them what we’re doing and to be able to thank our supporters.”

About the Orange Volunteer Fire Association
The Orange Volunteer Fire Association provides fire protection residents and businesses in Orange and, through mutual aid, surrounding towns. Members receive training in fire suppression, rescue, hazardous materials response, homeland security issues and other emergency services.

Operating strictly with revenues from fund-raisers and donations, the Orange Volunteer Fire Department is one of the remaining few all-volunteer incorporated fire departments in Connecticut. Active members are on-call to serve the community on a 24-hour/seven-day basis, responding from stations on Orange Center Road and Boston Post Road.

In addition, the fire company offers public education services including lectures, demonstrations and training. For information about membership, donations or public education, call (203) 891-4703, click on https://www.orangevfd.org/ or find us on Facebook.