A small town’s safety net

By Hayley Leatherwood May 2026

When power outages put response times at risk, a community-minded co-op steps up to the task.

The bay doors at the Depew volunteer fire station don’t open easily without power.

When the electricity goes out, those heavy steel doors become a race against time. Volunteers, already responding to an emergency call, must wrestle them open by hand before they can even get a truck on the road.

“That’s time you don’t have,” said Christina Harlow-Nolan, treasurer of the Depew Ladies Auxiliary Club. “If someone calls, you can’t waste a minute.”

In a town of roughly 415 people, the fire department is a lifeline. And for years, that lifeline was vulnerable.

A problem that couldn’t wait

Harlow-Nolan hadn’t planned to become a grant writer when she moved to Depew from Tulsa. She and her husband were simply looking for a quieter life, a big yard, a manageable rent and a place to call home.

But small towns have a way of pulling people in.

Within months, she joined the auxiliary club, eventually taking on the role of secretary, treasurer and grant administrator. She quickly realized many of Depew’s challenges came down to one thing: funding.

“If nobody asks, nobody’s going to give it to you,” she said.

One issue stood out.

Frequent power outages — 14 instances lasting more than four hours in a recent year — left the fire station in the dark. Without electricity, bay doors wouldn’t open, equipment access slowed and the building couldn’t serve as a refuge during severe weather.

The outages were tied to infrastructure outside East Central Electric Cooperative’s service territory, leaving the department with limited options for support.

During one outage, volunteers sat idle in the station, waiting for power to return.

“I thought, ‘I don’t know how, but we’re going to get a generator,’” Harlow-Nolan said.

Finding a partner

That determination led her to East Central Electric Cooperative’s Operation Round Up program, which provides grants to support community needs across the co-op’s service area.

While East Central does not provide electric service to the town of Depew, the cooperative’s community-focused program extends beyond its lines, supporting organizations that serve people throughout the broader area.

For Lylah Sparks, a member relations representative at East Central, helping communities navigate those needs is part of the job and the mission.

“My biggest role is being a resource,” Sparks said. “We can’t do everything for everybody, but we can help connect people to solutions.”

Sparks works regularly with more than 50 volunteer fire departments in the region, many of which operate on tight budgets and rely heavily on donations and grants.

“Rural fire departments don’t get a lot of funding,” she said. “A $2,000 grant might not sound like much, but for them, it can make a real difference.”

Though East Central had already supported the department with previous funding, Sparks brought the request forward.

The result: a $2,000 Operation Round Up grant to help purchase or maintain a generator.

“I called and told them, and I was just so glad we could do something,” Sparks said.

Today, the generator provides time, safety and peace of mind.

With reliable power, bay doors open at the push of a button. Trucks roll out without delay. Volunteers no longer have to rush to wait at the station simply to prepare for an outage.

And during severe weather, the station becomes a place of refuge.

“If someone is on oxygen and the power goes out, or it’s freezing during an ice storm, they have somewhere to go,” Harlow-Nolan said. “Even our volunteers have a place to warm up.”

The auxiliary has also committed to a maintenance plan to keep the generator running without relying on tax dollars.

“Getting the generator is half the battle,” she said. “Keeping it running is the other half.”

Small grants, big impact

Operation Round Up grants are often modest in size, but their impact in rural communities can be outsized.

Sparks sees it every day.

“These departments are dealing with expensive equipment, communication upgrades and training costs,” she said. “A lot of funding goes to larger population centers, but these small towns still have real needs.”

East Central’s approach reflects that reality. Organizations don’t have to be co-op members to apply, as long as they serve people within the cooperative’s broader community.

In 10 years, East Central’s Operation Round Up program has granted more $3 million to local organizations and individuals in need.

“Even if a town isn’t directly on our lines, our members are connected to it,” Sparks said. “They work there, they have family there. It all ties together.”

For Harlow-Nolan, the generator project is just one example of what can happen when someone steps forward and when a partner is willing to help, even without a direct service connection.

“When I came in with big ideas, I understood there were challenges,” she said. “But someone has to care enough to try.”

Now, when the lights go out in Depew, the fire station stays ready.

And when the next call comes in, the trucks will roll out. No delay, no hesitation. The roar of the engine is the assurance that this small town’s lifeline is a little stronger than it was before.

What is Operation Round Up

Operation Round Up is a voluntary program offered by electric cooperatives that allows members to round up their monthly electric bills to the nearest dollar.

Those small contributions, often just a few cents each month, are pooled into a fund that supports local needs such as volunteer fire departments, schools and community organizations.

Grants are awarded to projects that improve quality of life across the cooperative’s service area and surrounding communities.