Harbour Island’s Briland Modem Fund has established a GoFundMe campaign to help repair the Marsh Harbour Volunteer Fire and Rescue fire station, which sustained severe damage during Hurricane Dorian.
Supported almost entirely by the local business and residential communities, Marsh Harbour Volunteer Fire and Rescue (MHVFR) has protected lives and structures in Abaco for close to 50 years.
In addition to serving as the sole fire and rescue team for central Abaco including Marsh Harbour, Spring City, Murphy and Dundas Towns and more, MHVFR offers vital backup to fire and rescue squads throughout Abaco.
Unfortunately, last September, Hurricane Dorian destroyed the squad’s entire fleet of five fire trucks and a rescue vehicle. The front wall and doors of the fire hall were destroyed, and another side of the structure sustained significant damage.
Virtually all windows were destroyed, as were the hall’s interior offices and storage areas.
In the months since Dorian, replacement fire engines have been generously donated by Temple Terrace Fire Department (Tampa), Ocala Fire and Rescue, the Fort Lauderdale Fire Department, 25 United (West Palm Beach,) and the Blue Hill Fire Department (Maine.) Bahamian insurance company Family Guardian has donated a new rescue vehicle as well as other equipment.
However, Marsh Harbour’s fire house remains in desperate need of repairs – not just to protect the newly donated fleet, but to secure and safeguard the team’s fire-fighting gear and supplies.
To raise the funds necessary for this work, the Briland Modem Fund — an all-volunteer 501(c)3 organization set up in 1999 to support various projects throughout the Bahamas out islands – has established a Go Fund Me page. Please contribute to this worthwhile cause if you’re able.
For more information about the MHVFR, or to donate building materials or fire-fighting supplies, email mhvfiredept@gmail.com or drop me a note and I’ll put you in touch with fire department officials.
To learn more about the Briland Modem Fund, visit their website or email them at info@briland.com.
