Gulfport donates pickup to Cumberland Trail Fire District

ST. CLAIRSVILLE -- Gulfport Energy has donated a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 pickup truck to the Cumberland Trail Fire District, providing the department with another vehicle for emergency response and day-to-day operations.

Gulfport representatives delivered the truck, formerly part of the company’s fleet, to the fire station Thursday morning.

Cumberland Trail Fire District Capt. Alex Gazdik said he recently contacted senior land technician Jessica Cook about the possibility of Gulfport donating one of its fleet vehicles when the company no longer needed it.

"I know that they replace their fleet every so often, and I asked them if they would consider donating one to the fire department if they ever had one that they were going to get rid of. And earlier this week, they reached out to me and told me that they had a truck that they were interested in donating," Gazdik said. "So this morning they brought it over to us and we exchanged the title and everything. It was a nice little get together."

Cook said this is the second time Gulfport has made a similar donation. The company previously donated a truck to the Barton Volunteer Fire Department.

"We feel as if we are a big part of the community and have a lot of things happening here. We just want to ensure that they understand that we’re here to support the community," Cook said. "We want to be a part of the things they are doing and help out any time that is needed."

She added that the work performed by local fire departments and police agencies aligns with Gulfport’s values as a company.

Fire Chief Tim Hall said the district is extremely thankful for Gulfport Energy’s generosity.

"Donations like this enable us to continually provide essential services to our residents and surrounding communities," Hall said.

Gazdik said the truck will have numerous uses, including general station activities, transporting supplies and personnel, responding to incidents and cleaning up afterward.

"It’ll have a lot of different uses, like general station activities, running around within the district to either gather supplies or move personnel from station to station, respond to incidents, and clean up from incidents afterwards," Gazdik said. "We have a lot of tools that get dirty that need to be brought back and cleaned before they go back and use them. The bed of the truck would be the perfect place to put that dirty equipment before it gets cleaned."

The truck also will be used to tow trailers when utility task vehicles are needed.

"We have a trailer with a UTV that’s part of the Belmont County UTV task force that can respond to incidents where ATVs are needed," Gazdik said. "Also with the Belmont County Rescue Task Force trailer which is in partnership with local law enforcement in the event that there’s an incident either within Belmont County or within the region."

The UTV can be used to reach patients in areas inaccessible by road. It also has a water tank that can be used to fight brush fires and fires in areas inaccessible to traditional emergency vehicles.

The district uses the UTV for coverage at the Belmont County Fair and other events.

"We're very thankful for the generous donation from Gulfport Energy. They’re a great community partner, and I think that this truck will be put to good use in the fire district," Gazdik said. "We couldn’t be happier that they were generous enough to give us a truck to use."

Belmont County Sheriff James Zusack said the truck will be stored at the Cumberland Trail firehouse with the Belmont County Rescue Task Force trailer to allow for a quicker response when needed.

"The truck will be utilized for the trailer with all of the equipment in there for any mass casualty that we may have," Zusack said. "So what that means is we have the truck ready to go with the trailer so it can get there quicker to save lives in case of a mass casualty incident."

Zusack said the Sheriff’s Office appreciates Gulfport’s donation and believes the truck will benefit residents throughout Belmont County.