Parryville Volunteer Fire Co. No. 2 dedicated its newest addition, Engine 814, during its annual picnic fundraiser last weekend.

Fire Chief Mike Kunkle began by thanking everyone for attending the ceremony and for all of their support.

He spoke of the benefits that Engine 814 would bring to their fire company, with a 1,500 gallon-per-minute/600-gallon tank, fully stainless-steel body and an eight-person cab.

The new engine also has the capability of using foam, which provides a more efficient way to suppress a fire.

The 1994 Spartan Engine 814 model is seven years newer than their previous fire engines and will be replacing Engine 811 and Rescue 851.

“We’ll probably never see a brand-new truck, said Kunkle, “but we’ll continue to work to upgrade our equipment as we can so that we’re ready to serve our small community and surrounding communities.”

The newest addition was purchased for $55,000 from Command Fire Apparatus in Lancaster.

As a way to lessen the financial blow, the Parryville Fire Company took out a loan for the full amount of $55,000 from Jim Thorpe National Bank.

The company also plans to sell fire engine 811.

Rescue 851 has already been sold back to its original owner in York Springs, where it will be restored back to its original condition to be used as a parade piece.

Kunkle took a minute to address the volunteer situation.

“Lack of volunteers and high cost of operating is making it hard for a lot of small volunteer companies to keep going,” he said.

“So I thought it would only be fair to all the dedicated volunteers here at Parryville Fire Company and the Parryville community to be able to enjoy the tradition of dedicating our new piece of equipment.”

The fire company holds a monthly breakfast, funnel cake stand and its annual summer picnic as a way to raise money. The annual picnic features an array of carnival like games including dart toss, pick-a-pop, bean bag toss and a goldfish game.

“The few volunteers we have here at Parryville Fire Company have the biggest hearts of anyone I know. They dedicate countless hours to fundraising and training to keep our fire company surviving in the tough times that many departments are struggling through,” Kunkle said.