JOPLIN, Mo. —
During the search and rescue effort after the May 22 tornado, Joplin fire Chief Mitch Randles realized the need for some specific equipment that the department did not have.
On Wednesday, that need for those lifesaving tools was met when a national sandwich chain, Firehouse Subs, which does not yet have a store in Joplin, donated $19,000 worth of Res-Q-Jacks and Paratech systems purchased with donations made by customers and a fundraising auction.
The Joplin area has had to wait an hour or two for that type of equipment to arrive from other departments, Randles said. After realizing how much it was needed during the tornado rescue effort, “We were hoping to get this equipment, not only for us but for the regional area so that if one of our neighbors needed help, we would have it,” he said.
Jim Perkins, deputy fire chief, said the equipment can be used for such things as stabilizing an overturned vehicle or lifting portions of a collapsed building or trench for extrications. He said the equipment also can be used for a rescue from a confined space, such as a well.
Robin Peters, executive director of the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, said the donation was made through a program the restaurant chain offers that allows customers to round up the cost of purchases, with the difference going to donations.
Dave Johnson, the company’s area representative based in Kansas City, said money also was raised when several Kansas City Chiefs players donated items for an auction held by the Kansas City restaurants.
The company established the foundation in 2005 to help equip fire departments. The company’s founders, Chris and Robin Sorensen, are former firefighters who were inspired by the need they saw for rescue equipment in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Peters said. The foundation also provides scholarships for training of emergency workers.
Nationally, the company and its customers have donated about $3.9 million to 374 communities since the foundation’s inception. That includes $52,000 that has gone to agencies in Missouri.
Firehouse Subs has 505 restaurants, with the closest located in Bentonville, Ark.
Johnson said the company plans to bring three or four restaurants to Joplin and is in search of a franchise buyer for that effort.
Randles said donations such as the one from Firehouse Subs “are all very appreciated.”
The Fire Department will be central to another event Saturday, when the city celebrates the opening of a new fire station, No. 6, at 5302 W. 32nd St.
A ribbon-cutting at 9:30 a.m. will be followed by open house until 11:30 a.m.
Funding
JOPLIN’S NEW FIRE STATION was built with money generated by the half-cent public safety sales tax approved by voters in 2006.
May 2011 Joplin tornado
Fire Department receives rescue jacks
- May 2011 Joplin tornado
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Storms cause damage throughout the Four States
Four-State Area residents hunkered down twice Monday to ride out tornadoes and powerful spring storms, then went to work cleaning up. The worst damage from Monday night’s storm was being reported in Ottawa County, Okla., near Wyandotte. That followed a report of an EF-1 tornado early Monday morning near Carthage.
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SLIDESHOW: One year later, One day of unity, updated
Photos from a day of events commemorating the May 22, 2011 tornado anniversary
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Two plead guilty to post-tornado wire theft
Two defendants pleaded guilty Monday to stealing copper wire from utility poles in the wake of the May 22, 2011, tornado that struck Joplin. Timothy M. Silveria, 45, of Joplin, and Nycoa K. Kracht, 32, of Laurel, Ind., entered open pleas of guilty in Jasper County Circuit Court to felony counts of theft from a public utility.
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FACES OF RECOVERY: 176,869 volunteers help put Joplin together again
They initially came in droves, pouring into Joplin by the thousands during the months following the May 2011 tornado to clear debris, clean up damaged homes and businesses and distribute donations of food, water, clothing and other necessities.
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Therapy dogs
Any question that Louie was bred to put people as ease is put to rest when the golden retriever trots over to where a visitor sits and puts his head on their knee, the dog’s eyes filled with a gentle affection.
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Nova Kluseman and Jeanne Morrow
Nova Kluseman has staked her claim on Wednesdays at the Mercy medical office clinics where she volunteers. The staff at Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri will know it’s Thursday when they see Jeanne Morrow walk through the door.
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Greentree Community Church
Every two months, Joplin plays host to some now-familiar faces. They’re members of Greentree Community Church in St. Louis, and they have “adopted” the city as one of their mission projects since the tornado.
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Virginia Laas
Virginia Laas isn’t an accountant or bookkeeper by trade. But when the tornado caused significant damage to Joplin Schools, and subsequently spurred a massive landslide of donations to the district, Laas voluntarily stepped into those roles to fill a need that administrators were too busy to handle.
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Rebecca Williams
Two years after the tornado, Rebecca Williams remains committed to helping people around the world keep up with the progress that has been made in Joplin.
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Community Outreach Team
While it didn’t yet have a formal name, the seeds of Freeman Health System’s Community Outreach Team were planted in the hours following the tornado.
- More May 2011 Joplin tornado Headlines
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