SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT
Watch how the Gilbert Franklin Fire Department saved the Lepper family home in summer 2024.
WE ARE A COMMUNITY THAT SHOWS UP FOR ONE ANOTHER
On the first day of summer break, the Lepper family’s home in Gilbert, Iowa, caught fire. Their three daughters, home alone when a rechargeable flashlight ignited inside a charging drawer, responded quickly and called 911.
Thanks to community-funded resources and training, our 100% volunteer-led Gilbert-Franklin Township Fire Department responded rapidly, preventing the home from being completely destroyed and keeping the family safe.
This is what community looks like — neighbors helping neighbors. And it’s only possible with your support.
"The fact that these guys do this voluntarily to support all of us in the community — and saved our house from being completely destroyed — we should all be so thankful." — Austin Lepper
YOUR SUPPORT SAVES LIVES
Every donation helps our fire department stay prepared and ready to serve our community. With your support we can:
- Upgrade Vital Equipment – Keeping our firefighters prepared with the best tools.
- Provide Essential Training Programs – Ensuring rapid, expert response to emergencies.
- Maintain Our Fleet – Keeping our trucks and gear in top condition so it is ready for action.
Your support ensures that when the next call comes, we’ll be ready — just like we were for the Leppers.
GIVE NOW
Thank you for helping us protect Gilbert, one family at a time.
Your donation empowers us to:
- Enhance capabilities with specialized tools and technology.
- Provide additional equipment that might be outside the regular operating budget
- Support the well-being and readiness of our firefighters.
- Fill crucial gaps when urgent needs arise that require immediate funding.
Here are some specific examples of how your past donations to GIFA have been put to work:
1. Vital Equipment Upgrades: Your contributions have enabled us to purchase or help purchase key assets, ensuring our firefighters have the tools they need:
- The life-saving LUCAS device, providing automated chest compressions.
- The versatile Toyota Pickup "1005" support vehicle, including its topper and emergency lights.
- Significantly, GIFA has also stepped in with funding assistance when critical equipment needs arose unexpectedly or outside budget cycles. We contributed funds towards new radios to improve emergency communications and provided financial help to acquire essential airpacks (SCBAs) and protective gear when they were urgently needed by our members.
2. Ongoing Maintenance Support: While the department's budget covers routine upkeep, your donations allow GIFA to address specific needs. For example, we recently funded the purchase of new rims for Engine "105", contributing directly to the maintenance and readiness of our frontline apparatus.
3. Essential Training Support: To foster effective learning environments, GIFA often provides meals and refreshments during department training sessions. Station support items like the griddle and ice maker, frequently used during meetings, training, and long incidents, were also purchased through GIFA funds. This support encourages participation in vital skills development and helps sustain firefighters through long or intensive training evolutions.
