The flier for the Kindness Rocks Delta County fundraising effort for The Escanaba Township Fire Department to acquire a powered hose roller.

ESCANABA – Kindness Rocks Delta County has set a $7,000 fundraising goal to help the Escanaba Township Fire Department acquire a powered hose roller.

Cris Moore-Lucier is coordinating the fundraiser. He founded Kindness Rocks Delta County in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to promote kindness in the community and help local businesses. The group has installed a lifejacket loaner station at the Escanaba Municipal Beach, created a free puppet theater outside the Bonifas Art Center in Escanaba, filled Little Free Libraries throughout Escanaba and Gladstone and focused efforts on spreading awareness for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.

With Moore-Lucier’s husband, Tyler, serving on the Escanaba Township Fire Department, they’re doubly aware of what is needed.

“The powered fire hose roller enables firefighters to manage their fire hoses much more efficiently while reducing the risk of injury from lifting, carrying and otherwise moving the very bulky and heavy water-filled hoses when they are deployed. The equipment also makes routine highly labor-intensive tasks like water-emptying and washing of hoses much easier and faster,” Tyler Moore-Lucier said.

The power roller from RollNRack not only brings the hose back in more efficiently, it squeezes excess water out as it reels in. “This is critical to maximize the useful life of a fire hose and avoid equipment damage,” he said.

“This will significantly improve firefighters’ hose maintenance and care. A powered hose roller will facilitate more efficient equipment management during large-scale emergency events,” a flier posted by Cris Moore-Lucier states.

Most fire departments have not had the opportunity to utilize these hose rollers yet, as the equipment is relatively new and costly, especially to underfunded departments or those with constrained budgets.

“Since funding for the department is somewhat limited due to today’s economy and competing fund needs, Kindness Rocks Delta County decided to help raise the funds to get the equipment,” Tyler Moore-Lucier said.

“Having this equipment makes otherwise strenuous work that very often must be performed by already fatigued firefighters much easier and safer,” he said.

Three different ways have been set up to contribute to the Kindness Rocks Delta County’s fundraiser for the fire department. A GoFundMe has been set up for convenient donating at https://www.gofundme.com/f/escanaba-township-fire-department-hose-roller-fundraiser. Proceeds from purchases of the group’s Back Our Red merchandise will go to the fundraiser. Finally, local grocery stores will have tags with donation amounts ranging from $1, $5 and $10.

All in-kind fundraiser donations, including those from GoFundMe, come with an entry in a drawing for a 65-inch LED provided through Kindness Rocks Delta County. Back Our Red merchandise donations are not eligible for entry into the drawing.

Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021 or svogelmann@dailypress.net.