Burns helps Vintondale fire company acquire $64K rescue vehicle
Side-by-side needed to traverse Ghost Town Trail
Rep. Frank Burns February 23, 2026 | 10:22 AM
JOHNSTOWN, Feb. 23 – For years the Citizens Fire Company of Vintondale has relied on its big Ford F-450 dually truck to respond to emergencies along a seven-mile stretch of Ghost Town Trail – a situation anticipated to change this spring thanks to a $64,399 grant supported by state Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria.
Rob Garver, Vintondale fire chief, said that’s because the money is buying a new and nimble 2026 CanAm 6-by-6 side-by-side, outfitted with brush-fire fighting abilities including a hose line and 85-gallon water tank, a Stokes basket rescue setup, and chainsaw-carrying capability.
“We’ve been taking our utility truck, which is pretty big and hard to turn around on the trail, which is an old railroad bed approximately 10 feet wide,” Garver said. “The side-by-side is smaller, and has an enclosed single cab with windows, heat and air conditioning for year-round use.”
The need for an easier-navigating vehicle was demonstrated a few years ago, Garver said, when a special needs child got lost near the trail and the fire department lacked anything with the ability to easily traverse the terrain to conduct a search.
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“We waited about a year maybe, until Frank called me and said, ‘Congratulations, we got it.’ We’re all excited; it’s already ordered.” – Rob Garver, chief of Citizens Fire Company of Vintondale, on state grant funding for a side-by-side emergency rescue vehicle.
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Garver said obtaining the side-by-side funding “was a long process” finally put on the road to success after the Local Share Account grant program was identified as a good place to apply.
“Frank’s been trying. They suggested we try applying for the LSA grant. We wrote the grant and applied through the borough,” Garver said. “The borough had to apply for it, not the fire company.
“It was a long process. We waited about a year maybe, until Frank called me and said, “Congratulations, we got it.’ We’re all excited, it’s already ordered.”
Burns credited the fire department’s refusal to give up as a key factor in the outcome – which saw Burns working the state House side of the equation to ensure half of the grant money was provided, while state Sen. Wayne Langerholc worked to deliver the other half from the Senate side.
“It came down to their persistence to keep trying,” Burns said. “I meet with them every year, at the fire company’s Easter event for the community’s kids. So, I was well aware of the need. Now, if there’s ever a need for a rescue on the Ghost Town Trail, they can get back there without using one of their bigger rescue vehicles.”