Thousands in donations help fire department replace safety training trailer

It’s like a holiday gift for the La Crosse Fire Dept.

Thousands of dollars in donations from a couple of local businesses will help the department replace a 25 year-old fire safety education trailer.

“It’s definitely crucial and certainly saving the taxpayers dollars,” La Crosse fire chief Ken Gilliam said.

Logistics Health donated $15,000, while Kwik Trip added another $2,000 for the estimated $65,000 trailer.

Private donations to replace it are coming at just the right time, Gilliam said.

“There’s limitations to what we can do through normal budget cycles,” he said, “and there’s a lot of additional services the fire department is trying to do, as far as community outreach.”

The department’s fire safety house has been used to teach around 3,000 to 4,000 children a year about fire safety.

“It’s a mobile fire training trailer,” Gilliam said. ” It’s what we take out to all the schools during fire prevention weeks and open houses. “

Next month, the city council will formally accept the donations during meetings.