By JON BAKER

LINCOLN — The 30 members of the Lime Rock Firefighters Association team decided to utilize its own money — with help from that group’s Ladies’ Auxiliary — to purchase two new cold-water rescue suits and 600 feet of water rescue rope for the fire district.

The association, at a Jan. 20 meeting, voted unanimously to donate $1,000 of its own funds (created by weekly dues from paychecks) to pay for the suits, while the auxiliary offered $300-plus for the two coils of rope.
The way Deputy Chief Todd Tucker and firefighter Jason (“Stump”) Dupont viewed the situation, the department didn’t have a choice. They obviously knew of planned, massive state budget cuts, so chose to spark their own idea, bringing it to fruition.
“These guys did this on their own, and they didn’t have to; for that, I’m very proud of all of them,” said Chief Frank Sylvester, who said he knew of nothing of it until after the fact. “It could’ve taken the next year or so for the district to be able to afford such equipment, but the guys took it upon themselves.
“I was shocked, but also very pleased to see their dedication and commitment to the safety of the citizens of Lime Rock.”
The notion began back in early January, when a 140-pound deer fell through the ice at Lincoln Woods State Park’s Olney Pond.
“We got the call in the late morning, and a group of our Lime Rock firefighters went down there, but we couldn’t do anything because we didn’t have the suits and the proper equipment,” said firefighter Jason (“Stump”) Dupont. “We ended up calling Saylesville, knowing they had a cold-water suit. Those guys made an attempt at saving the doe, but couldn’t. It was in a hole.
“The good news is the Department of Environmental Management notified the Northern Rhode Island Ice Rescue Team, which came in and saved the deer,” he added. “After it happened, I started thinking, ‘What if that animal was a child or an adult? What would we do then?’ This time, we couldn’t help. If it happened again, we’d have to call another district to assist us.
“You just feel helpless; there’s no other way to describe it.”
Stated Todd Tucker: “In cases like this, minutes – even seconds – are critical.”
Dupont said he began rifling through magazines and the Internet to find the equipment they needed, then talked to Steve Tucker (a fellow deputy chief with brother Todd) about pursuing the suits, etc. through the Lime Rock Firefighters Association -- for those who don’t know, it’s not a union.
“Under new business at our Jan. 20 association meeting, Jay (the LRFFA president) brought it up, getting our own suits and equipment, and Steve spoke in support of it,” Todd Tucker said. “Steve also mentioned that our Board of Fire Commissioners had been supportive of us over the last several years, and that he felt we should want to give something back as an organization.
“Given the budgets the way they’ve been the past couple of years, we decided to attempt to make the purchase and better our department,” he added. “We wanted to enhance our mission, which is to protect life and safety. I will say there was a lot of debate within the organization, but – ultimately – everyone felt this was important. We had to.
“Maybe, down the road, the district could’ve afforded this equipment; it’s always been on the list, but always pushed to the wayside for other equipment … At the meeting, I brought up the Ladies’ Auxiliary, which I knew still had some funds in its account. I figured, ‘Hey, maybe they will help us.’”
It didn’t hurt that Todd Tucker’s wife, Kathy, acts as auxiliary president.
“I watched that deer rescue unfold, and I told the guys, ‘You could’ve done that if you had the equipment,’” Kathy said. “When my husband came to me and said, ‘What do you think?’ I told him I would ask some of the members. I did, and they thought it was a great idea, making a donation.”
Stated Todd: “After the meeting, our big worry was we weren’t going to be able to manage the entire purchase. We voted to allocate only enough for the suits. The key to the deal was the Ladies’ Auxiliary, and for that we’re very thankful.”
Both Todd Tucker and Dupont claimed the association had ordered the suits and rope, and would receive all over the next three-four weeks.
“We need this basic equipment to go out and begin training in case of another incident like the deer,” Todd said. “If the ice is gone by the time we receive it, that won’t matter. It can still be used for swift-water or cold-water rescues. People don’t know we have nine or 10 bodies of water in our district, including the quarries, and the human or animal element is out there. This is important stuff, and we’re finally going to have it.”
Sylvester admitted he didn’t know about this display of good faith and concern until after the fact.
“Jay came to me and said, ‘Chief, I realize with the economy the way it is, and the budgets being tight, we needed to do something, so we purchased this equipment for water rescues,” he offered. “He talked about the deer falling through the ice at Lincoln Woods, and how we could only assist the Northern Rhode Island Ice Rescue Team. He didn’t like it, watching them do the job.
“Now we’re going to have this equipment, and I’m thrilled.”