Donations Pour In For Volunteer Fire Department In Need Of Lifesaving Equipment

The new Kickapoo Turnpike is going in just a few miles down the road from the Hickory Hills Fire Department which means that calls are going to go up dramatically for the volunteers. They need new gear, and now they’ll get it.

Last week, News 9 introduced you to the volunteers of Hickory Hills Fire Department. With the new turnpike going in just a few miles away, their 30-year-old Jaws of Life just aren’t going to cut it.  

They held a garage sale, hoping to raise about $5,000 of the $32,000 needed for new equipment. Instead, that sale brought in about $6,500.

“We were blessed. I mean so many people turned out and helped us out, bought a lot of stuff. Donated a lot of money,” said Assistant Chief Yana Youngblood.

But there’s more to the story.

A woman who asked to remain anonymous saw our story and cut the department a check for $25,000. 

"And I started crying. Showed it to the rest of the firefighters, and we were all just in disbelief. It was such a blessing. I can’t explain to you. Probably going to cry. Someone that has never met us and just saw the story from News 9 on TV and just felt it in their heart to give to us.  And it was just a blessing,” Youngblood said.

The department hopes to place an order for the new equipment this week, just in time for the turnpike to open next month. Firefighters said everyone who donated is a hero and is saving lives.

“Whether they left $0.5 or donated $100 or donated $25,000, every single coin, every single dollar, it helped get us to where we are today,” Youngblood said. “I can’t say thank you enough to everyone.”

The Hickory Hills volunteer fire department is always looking for more volunteers and obviously, they always need cash. Click here if you would like to help the department.