Fallon’s Blue Light Special

Steve Ranson/LVN
The defending champs from 2020 were the Fallon Churchill Volunteer Fire Department. From left are Chris Rogne, Blake Brandenburg, Dan Shaw, Mitch Young and Milt Wallace.

 
This year’s total fell short of the goal, but the final tally showed 25,600 pounds of food was donated. The Fallon Police Department broke the Fallon Churchill Volunteer Fire Department’s streak of being the top organization. FPD collected 10,400 pounds of food, followed by the fire department with 7,560 pounds. Riley said it was close between third and fourth place. The Churchill County Sheriff’s Office gathered 2,820 pounds followed by the Churchill County Search and Rescue with 2,440 pounds.
Banner Churchill Emergency Medical Services had 1,260 pounds with Nevada Highway Patrol adding 780 pounds and the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribal Police totaling 700 pounds.
“That brings our total for our cumulative six-year total of 98,748 pounds of food donated to the community,” Riley said.
The Out of Egypt Food Pantry will distribute the food.
Riley said in Fallon everyone pulls together to support the community.
“It’s nice our first responders give back,” she said.
Riley said she an idea six years ago to begin a friendly competition among the first-responder agencies, and during the past six years, she said the program has grown from a few thousand pounds to almost 30,000 pounds.
During the afternoon, firefighter Milt Wallace said the fire department worked hard to keep the trophy.
“We had it for three straight years and going for a fourth straight,” he said.
Wallace, who grew up in Fallon, has been with the fire department for seven years.
“It’s a great community to serve,” said Wallace, a fourth-general firefighter. “Everyone steps up.”