SAXTONS RIVER — What do you do with the fire hose when it wears out?
That was the dilemma of the Saxtons River Volunteer Fire Department, which recently learned it will need to replace 6,000 feet of fire hose that is no longer serviceable, at a cost of $10 per foot.
To help offset the anticipated $60,000 expense, villagers have come up with the idea of turning the old hose into wrist bands; cutting up the hose, dyeing it, adding a row of contrasting stitching to prevent fraying and attaching a snap.
The result is not just a colorful accessory but a piece of Saxtons River history that will put a small dent in the cost of replacing the hose.
The wrist bands are selling for $5 each and will be available at the Fourth of July parade, with the option of adding more bling in the form of additional snaps.
“We know this is a drop in the bucket, but it is a great way to make the community aware of the need,” said Celia Bohannon, one of the forces behind the project.
She noted that a number of people have been involved in making the bands: Bohannon cut and dyed; Leslie Cornick, Patricia Bellows, Sue Venman and Michelle Chickering sewed; and Dennis Gilkenson of Green Mountain Gazebos provided snaps and the tools to apply them.
The thread came from the personal collection of the late Rhoena Longley, who was SRVD Chief Arthur Smith's first grade teacher at the local elementary school.
The hose being used for the wrist bands had a former life in the village's annual Fourth of July water polo games when area teams duke it out in wild sprays of water.
“I was the first woman to score a goal when they started allowing women to play,” Cornick said, giving special meaning to her participation in the hose replacement project.