DERBY — The smell of spaghetti filled the engine bays at the Derby Fire Department on Saturday.
The plate sale was a fundraiser for the small volunteer department in the northeastern corner of Richmond County.
Supporters included members of the community, as well as those from the Hamlet and West End fire departments.
The department is also gearing up for its 40th anniversary, having been incorporated in October of 1983, according to Chief David Poland.
Part of the funds raised by the spaghetti sale will go toward a celebration for the milestone, in late September or early October, which will be open to the public, Poland added.
The Derby Volunteer Fire Department currently has 25 members serving a six-mile response area north of Hoffman, near both the Montgomery and Moore county lines. The response area has about 700 residents, according to Poland.
Poland said Derby is the only department in the county without a tax base. The county allotts the department a certain amount each year for running mutual aid calls from the annual budget.
Aside from that, Poland said, the department operates off money from fundraisers and grants.
In late 2021, the department received $5,000 from the N.C. Department of Insurance which was part of a $500,000 contribution to the state from Blue Cross Blue Shield NC. The insurance commissioner also serves as the state fire marshal.
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Poland said the department is waiting on new air packs obtained through funds granted last year and has applied this year for “roughly $30,000” in equipment from NCDOI.
Rep. Ben Moss, R-Richmond, was also instrumental in helping Derby and the county’s other fire and rescue departments get $10,000 each from the state budget.
The date for the 40th anniversary celebration has not yet been set.
