Thanks to an unexpected gift from Enbridge Energy, the purchase of some much needed equipment for the volunteer members of the Penn Township Fire Department is no longer just a pipe dream.

Representatives with the energy company stopped by the Cass County fire house Wednesday evening to deliver a $10,000 check as part of its Safe Community grant program. The department plans to use the funds to purchase new firefighting boots for its 20 active members, replacing ones that have been in service for more than a decade, said Chief Jim Bogue.

The department, which protects residents living in Penn and Calvin townships as well as those living in the village of Vandalia, applied for the grant last fall, said Scott Wellman, the department’s treasurer.

When Wellman was contacted by the company last month to set up a time for the donation, he was shocked to hear about the amount of zeros in the check, he said.

“This is the first time we have received a donation this large before,” Bogue said. “It is fantastic.”

Enbridge has supported the department in the past as well, donating a former service truck to the fire station several years ago and helping to pay for a thermal camera for the department the year before, Bogue said.

Enbridge’s most recent gesture was not ignored by the department. The turnout to Wednesday’s event was among the largest that company representative Lara Hamsher has seen, she said.

The Safe Community program is open to any emergency department that lies within 10 miles of one of Enbridge’s oil or gas pipelines, Hamsher said.

“We want to be a good neighbor in the communities we are involved in,” Hamsher said. “We do everything we can to prevent accidents from happening, but if they do occur we don’t want that to be the first time we meet emergency personnel in the area.”

The $10,000 gift is among the larger amounts the program typically awards to departments, she added.

“Without programs like this, there would be a lot of things this department wouldn’t have right now,” said Jason Hayden, a captain with the department. “The township does its best to support us, but without others stepping up we would be behind where we are now.”