This Saturday, the Moscow Volunteer Fire Department Fire Station No. 1, on Main Street will open its doors for community members for its annual pancake feed.
The department will serve pancakes, sausages, juice and coffee beginning at 7 a.m. The cost is $3 for children under 12, and $5 for adults.
The Moscow Volunteer Fire Department utilizes UI students as volunteers to keep the department fully staffed. The volunteers involved in the program live in the fire station for free, and in exchange are trained as firefighters and EMTs.
“Our big thing is our student resident program,” Fire Chief Ed Button said. “Where we have these young people set up in duty shifts and engine crews. They get a certain day of the week and during their shift, they work well with us and have a very quick response time. That program has people recognizing how unique our place is here.”
The fire department in Moscow is the largest volunteer station in Idaho. Button said despite the fact that the department is run by a volunteer staff, the department is just as efficient as any other fire station in the state. He said the department has the same fire insurance ratings as the departments in Boise and Coeur d’Alene.
“We get people that don’t even realize that this is a volunteer fire department,” Button said. “From an institutional standpoint, it (the pancake feed) is an outreach program that’s probably as successful as anything in promoting the volunteer fire department.”
The annual pancake feed is the start of the department’s yearly fundraising project, where they send out brochures to members of the community in hopes of getting donations back.
As an outreach program, the pancake feed operates not just as a good breakfast, but also as an open house for the fire station downtown and an opportunity to meet members of the staff.
Volunteer fire fighters will perform safety presentations, bring in the local search, rescue and disaster services and the state and county police will make appearances at the pancake feed. The department encourages anyone who can show up to stop by. Joe Williams, Fire Marshal-Division Chief said more than 500 people showed up to the pancake feed last year — the largest outcome since the beginning of the tradition.
“Last year, I went to the grocery store three times to get more stuff like juice and butter,” Button said.
Both Williams and Button said they encourage UI students to attend the pancake feed.
“It’s one of those small town things that makes you feel good about being there,” Button said. “You get another chance to experience a small flavor of college life. A lot of kids don’t get the type of college feel a place like here offers.This is the last time students will be around people in their age group, with similar interests, and so many things to do with it. This (the pancake feed) is another one of those fun events, and you have to give it a try.”
Erin Bamer can be reached at [email protected]