Donation helps Chief Cliff Fire Service Area secure new truck
Donors and recipients of Chief Cliff Fire Service's new Kodiak truck include Brendeon Schoening, who brokered the deal, Fred Nelson and Chief Will Woodger of Polson Rural Fire, benefactors Jim and Donna Pomajevich, and Chief Cliff Chief Andy Learn and trustees Sigurd Jensen and Mike Meuli. (Courtesy photo)
The Chief Cliff Fire Service Area added a significant new tool to its firefighting arsenal recently, thanks to a generous grant from the James J. Pomajevich and Donna M. Pomajevich Fund of the Montana Community Foundation.
The funds allowed the Big Arm-based department to purchase a 2007 Chevy Kodiak truck from the Polson Rural Fire Department. Brendeon Schoening, owner of Collision Service in Polson and a member of Polson Rural and Chief Cliff fire departments, brokered the deal. He calls the new vehicle “one of the toughest and most versatile trucks around when it comes to firefighting.”
The Kodiak boasts a Duramax diesel engine and Allison automatic transmission and is equipped with a 450-gallon water capacity and a hose reel designed to fight everything from car fires to wildland fires and more – “something that would have come in very handy during the Elmo 2 fire that devastated parts of the Chief Cliff area last summer,” said Schoening.
The truck has 16,000 miles on it and has an engine and transmission that historically last up to 350,000 miles.
Area residents Jim and Donna Pomajevich, who are strong supporters of the department, donated the funds necessary to purchase the truck.
“While Polson is sad to see this multipurpose truck leave their station, they know it’s not too far down the road in the event they need to call on the Chief Cliff VFD for some extra support,” Schoening said. “Meanwhile, it will be a great addition to Chief Cliff and to the communities they serve.”