WEST SPRINGFIELD – The West Springfield Fire Department works each year to ensure fairgoers and staff are protected in case of fires or other emergencies during the Big E. With this responsibility comes the need for proper resources. Skip’s Outdoor Accents, owned by John and Scott Ansart, have donated a brand new storage shed to the West Springfield Fire Department.

The department will keep the shed on fairgrounds, providing them with a space to store all of their emergency equipment.

West Springfield Fire Department Lt. Andrew Lyne said, “Last year, we got really busy with calls. We wanted to come up with an area dedicated just to the Fire Department so we can respond with our equipment, keep it all safe and secure, dispatch when we have to, and at night lock everything up and keep it all safe. We got together with John and Scott Ansart who had a great idea about a shed.”

Skip’s Outdoor Accents collaborated with the West Springfield Fire Department to develop a storage shed that would be just what the department needed in order to keep the fairgrounds safe. John and Scott Ansart were happy to donate one.

John Ansart shared, “I’m really happy that we could be a part of this. I live in West Springfield, so I just wanted to give back. My brother and I said, ‘Hey, let’s give them what they need.”

The donated shed is not the first time Skip’s Outdoor Accents has been represented at the Big E. Skip’s Outdoor Accents sells storage sheds, swings and handcrafted Amish furniture at the fair annually. This year, they brought a large shed to the fairground featuring their products. Their products can also be purchased on location at their store in Agawam.

Skip’s Outdoor Accents has close ties to the fair, coordinating an annual Lobster Fest event after the Big E closes on the fairgrounds. This year, the event took place at Deep South Food Company and proceeds from the event benefited Ride to Remember, an organization that honors fallen police officers. It was the seventh Lobster Fest.