Nichols Fire Department serves up pancakes to eager breakfast goers

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By Xiomara Levsen

Index Editor

Around 200 people came to the Nichols Fire Department Sunday, March 19, for its annual pancake breakfast.

“It’s a big turn out,” said Nichols Fire Chief J.J. Hudson. “It always is.”

Nichols Fire Department started having a pancake breakfast in 2020, Hudson said. They had to do a drive-thru order style that year because of the pandemic. Last year was the first year they were able to have people inside the fire station for the breakfast. There was a good amount of people who came for that event.

“It just gets better and better (every year),” Hudson added. “It’s humbling seeing the amount of people (who come) and just faces you don’t see.”

Hudson mentioned he saw firefighters from other fire departments Sunday morning.

“It’s nice to see the fire departments from other cities come out to support you,” he said.

Nichols resident Michael Conroy was one of the people who came to the pancake breakfast this year. He found out about the event from the sign and social media.

“I just live three blocks away,” he said. “Adam Heitman (one of the volunteer firefighters) is our neighbor across the street.”

While most of the vehicles were parked outside, the fire department’s newest addition was inside the fire department for people to see, a F-350, which will be the new brush truck.

“We still have a couple of things to outfit the truck with,” Hudson said. “But the truck’s body was paid for through the city.”

The brush truck still needs a flatbed trailer, lighting and brush guards, a sign asking for donations said. Some of the money raised from the pancake breakfast will go toward getting those items but there is also other equipment needed.

In the fall, the fire department will hold another fundraiser like this and the election night soup supper, Hudson said.

The fire department has 18 volunteer firefighters on the roster currently.

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