Wednesday, October 16, 2002
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Wednesday, October 16, 2002 |
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Grant for new equipment to help county firefighters
By JOHN
MUNFORD A $315,000 grant will help firefighters from the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services breathe a lot safer if not easier, too. The grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will go towards the purchase of new state-of-the-art breathing apparatus. The department will use the funds to replace all its breathing apparatus, said Chief Jack Krakeel. "We have some breathing apparatus that are 15, 16 and 17 years old," explained Chief Jack Krakeel. "While they are not unsafe, they are not the state of the art technology for respiratory protection for our personnel." The breathing apparatus is used to protect firefighters' breathing when they enter smoke filled environments. The newer versions are lighter, better designed and in many ways safer than older models, with features like radio communications built into the mask unit. A committee comprised of department employees, headquarters staff and members of the safety committee have courted vendors to learn about the different options the department can take with the purchase, Krakeel said. Field tests of the various breathing apparatus will take place in the next month, Krakeel said. After that, bids will be sought from the companies, he added. The department has been successful in having grant applications approved in recent years, Krakeel noted. Currently, the department is second in the state in the amount of funds raised by grants. "You try to be as efficient and effective as you can," Krakeel said. "If funding opportunities are available, that just reduces the burden on the taxpayers." The grant came from a pool of $300 million appropriated by Congress for this year through the U.S. Fire Administration. Fayette was one of over 19,000 agencies across the country to apply for the grants.
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