Local 347 has taken on countless special projects in its 72 years of existence, and many have had a long-lasting effect on the community and the department. Local 347 is always happy to join forces with other agencies, fraternal organizations and civic groups to promote worthy projects in the community.
In the late 1980's a mammoth undertaking transformed the
department's vintage 1930 Model A Hose Wagon into a completely renovated gem. Some in the
Local had their doubts at the outset. Late one 
Friday afternoon, after much
pleading by the men, Chief Richard Poe hestitated, but finally gave a nervous nod of
approval to begin work on the rickety vehicle. Several guys went to work. When Chief Poe
returned to work Monday morning, he was aghast to see Robert Vest and Tony Hodges standing
knee-deep in an array of truck parts, each with a pair visegrips and a screwdriver in
hand! Junior Jackson tried to calm the distraught Chief by offering, "Who woulda
thunk it Chief?"
It took Chief Poe several days to recover from the shock, but as the photo at the right shows, all turned out okay. A complete team effort produced this beautiful fire truck. Literally every nut and bolt received attention, every piece of brass polished, a new bed was installed, and all rubber and tires were replaced. (Oh yeah, alot of knuckles skinned and new words invented, too) Today, Old No. 6 is used in fund raising events, parades and school programs.
Another wonderful community project that Local 347 has staged is a Christmas Bicycle Drive for underprivileged children in the City. Citizens bring discarded bicycles to Central Station, where Santa Dan Meadows takes them into his workshop to be transformed into magic racing machines that some lucky child can enjoy at Christmas time. The local K-Mart store and Manager Gary Beaver have been extra generous in helping Santa Dan and his elves with a large supply of bike parts. In the two or three years that the bicycle drive has been held, well over one hundred bikes were resurrected for the less fortunate kids in Bluefield. Thanks Gary and Danny and may God bless you both!
On a patriotic note, Local 347 joined forces with the American Legion Riley Vest Post #9 to provide over one-hundred American Flags for the City of Bluefield to display on poles throughout the city on holidays and other special occasions. Local 347 members set up an assembly line to attach the flags to the poles and prepare them for display. The flags are still in use today. Salute!
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