ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Belmont County has received a $30,000 donation from Rice Energy toward the purchase of a new command vehicle.

“That’s what we’re planning to do with it,” said Belmont County EMA Director Dave Ivan. “Basically what we’re looking to do is replace the command vehicle that we have right now with something newer, to upgrade.”

Ivan pointed out the condition of the current vehicle, which is a refurbished school bus.

“It’s getting old and starting to cost money to keep it maintained. Now’s the time to start looking to replace it, and with that $30,000, that’s a step in the right direction,” Ivan said.

A commercially available command vehicle would cost $250,000 or more, but Ivan said the EMA is looking at modified campers that could range from $30,000 to $60,000 in cost.

“We can pull this off at a lot cheaper than that and fit our needs,” he said.

According to Ivan, the new command center would have room for representatives of multiple departments to work together, an onboard generator and its own heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. The vehicle could be used for floods, fires, or incidents at well pads or pipeline sites.

Ivan thanked Rice Energy, adding the company also made donations to several area fire departments covering the area, including the company’s well pads. Ivan said more than 40 different agencies in Belmont, Monroe counties in Ohio and Washington and Greene counties in Pennsylvania received donations.

“We thank Rice Energy for its continued commitment and partnership to Belmont County. They’ve been a good corporate friend in the years that they’ve been here in Belmont County,” Belmont County Commissioner Mark Thomas said. “They currently have thousands of acres under lease. They’ve worked well with all of our landowners, and beyond that, they’ve been a great supporter of our public safety departments in the western part of Belmont County, where they have the majority of their land leased. Over the years that they’ve been here, every summer they have donated money to three or four fire departments or EMS departments every single year. Belmont County has also been the recipient of monies.”