Community

$10K Donation Gives McMechen VFD a Lift

MCMECHEN -- The McMechen Volunteer Fire Department received a $10,000 donation Thursday to help pay for its new ambulance.

McMechen resident Bob Kohler donated the money from his late uncle Charles Nolte's trust to help pay for the new ambulance.

"I live in McMechen and I'm proud of this city," Kohler said. "Obviously they could use the money so I was happy to do it."

Nolte, who died in 2020, was a McMechen resident known for his generosity to the community. His trust is in the care of the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley.

McMechen VFD Chief Michael Conners said he was thankful for the donation, noting that operating a fire department and purchasing new vehicles such as an ambulance gets more expensive every year. He said the new ambulance cost about $224,000.

"The donation from Mr. Kohler and the Nolte trust is just wonderful," Conners said. "It helps us keep this department functioning. We're a small community. We don't have a huge tax base to help us so every little bit helps."

Having a working ambulance is an integral part of any fire department.

"It was needed," Conners said of the new ambulance. "The older one was running rough and starting to become unreliable. Obviously you can't have an ambulance that is unreliable when you have people out there having the worst day of their life, and you have to get there and help them out."