The Hanover Fire Department is recognizing a major donation that officials say will directly strengthen training and emergency response capabilities, while also honouring a long-serving former deputy chief.
Barb Schlatman and family have donated $25,000 in memory of retired Deputy Chief Joe Schlatman, who served with the department for 35 years before retiring in 2002.
Fire Chief Jeff Dentinger says the size of the gift stands out in a big way.
"Incredibly generous. It’s not typical for a private citizen to provide such a huge donation," he said. "This is just a significant donation that is going to mean a great deal to our technical rescue services as well as some of our other training activities."
The funding will be split between rope rescue and water rescue equipment upgrades, as well as the construction of a roof ventilation training prop for firefighters.
Dentinger says the investment will make a real difference in day-to-day operations.
"It allows us to buy things like more water suits so that we can train in larger groups," he said. "It allows us to provide equipment for our rope rescue team that we’ve been trying to save up for, but now we can purchase and just become more effective."
He says it will also improve how firefighters train without taking away from critical response equipment.
"We can now have equipment that is strictly for training and not for response and training," Dentinger said. "So it just provides us to have a much more well-rounded program."
Beyond the financial impact, Dentinger says the donation carries deep meaning for the department because of who it honours.
He says Schlatman remained closely connected to the service long after his retirement, including documenting the history of firefighters who served in Hanover over many decades.
"He loved this fire department," Dentinger said. "He followed it even after his retirement, kept a record of all of the firefighters that were members here just to keep really a history of the department."
Dentinger says that lasting connection is not lost on current members, especially knowing the gift comes in his memory.
"It’s a big honor, really," he said. "The members realize that this is a significant donation that is going to have a huge impact on our operations."
The fire department says it will recognize the Schlatman family’s contribution more formally in the months ahead.