By Jennifer Stultz
Tri-County Tribune Editor
jstultz@cherryroad.com

Through fundraising and generous donations, Station 430 Hudson firefighters were recently able to purchase a remote-controlled nozzle for Truck 36.

“The Hudson firefighters finished installing it this month. It was actually used last week at a grass fire, where five Stafford County fire stations responded. It worked perfectly,” said Debbie Haddon, firefights 432 and spokesperson for the department.

The nozzle, mounted on the front bumper of truck 36 (Mike’s Truck, driven by the late Michael Haddon), allows firefighters to respond to fires even when they are shorthanded. All the firefighters at the Hudson fire station, and in Stafford County, are volunteers, so responses may vary when the fire call comes. The new remote control nozzle eliminates the wait for a second firefighter to arrive and operate the usual water sprayer from the back of the truck.

A pitch tournament, with extra prize drawings, was held in February 2025 by the Hudson department to raise money for the nozzle.

“We had many people that donated, so I decided to list those that donated $1K or more,” Haddon said. “These are listed in alphabetical order, not by amounts.”

Donations $1K or more were received by

BTI, Great Bend; Golden Belt Community Fund, Barton/Stafford area; Golden Belt Feeders, St John; Ken and Brenda Grabast (Hudson firefighters); Mike Haddon Memorial Fund; Midwest Energy Community Foundation; P&S Security, Great Bend; Stafford County Flour Mills.

“We wish we could publicly thank every individual and company for their donations and support,” Haddon said. “We are so appreciative of all the donations that made this possible.”