From Swan Quarter Volunteer Fire Department

 

A little over a year ago, Harry Glyn Jarvis, owner of Oyster Creek Marina in Swan Quarter donated $5,000 to the Swan Quarter Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) to be used to build an outdoor shelter with a barbecue pit underneath it. The shelter and pit were much needed by the VFD because they hold monthly lunch and dinner events to raise the funds necessary to keep the department in operation. When barbecue pork or chicken is on the menu, they have had to round up all of the borrowed cookers in the community and then find a place protected from the weather to park them while they cook. Once the meat is ready, it then had to be transported to the station to be served. One of their long-time goals was to reduce the workload of these events by having everything in one spot, in close proximity to the station.

Under direction of Swan Quarter resident Matthew Mason, various VFD members have worked alongside Mason these past few months to build a 31-foot square shelter. Mason, whose carpentry skills are in high demand, donated many hours of his own time on this project. Chief Jeffrey Stotesberry reports that the overall project is about 50% complete: “The 6”x6” treated lumber support beams, the roof trusses, and the tin roof are all in place.” “The overhead soffit (ceiling) and the covering for the gabled ends will be finished shortly and plans are being made for the concrete and cinderblock barbecue pit that will be built underneath the shelter,” he elaborated.

At the time Jarvis made his generous donation, he said that he had “been counting my many blessings and among those were my recoveries from a couple of different serious medical emergencies that the first responders of the Swan Quarter VFD came to my home to assist with.” He felt that by helping the VFD he would be giving back to the community.

Stotesberry says that they had hoped the donated funds would cover at least the cost of the shelter; however even that phase of the project is about $1000 over budget. They are now seeking the additional funds to complete the barbecue pit, which will eventually be connected to natural gas. A local welder has agreed to donate his services to install the metal tops that will cover the cooking area. The cinderblocks and the masonry work are also being donated.

“Many people have come together to make this project a reality, and we believe that we will be able to find a way to finish it by the end of the year,” he concluded.

The Swan Quarter VFD was established in 1971 by a group of citizens who were concerned with providing an organized fire safety presence for the community. Since that time, their area of operation has expanded, as has the level of services they provide. Today they operate with twenty-five unpaid volunteers who provide not only fire incident response, but also first responder service for medical emergencies. They also work with the Hyde County Schools to provide fire safety awareness to the youth of the community. They are a recognized nonprofit entity by the Internal Revenue Service and donations to the Swan Quarter Volunteer Fire Department are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by Law.