The Jefferson Fire Department is applying for grants to make upgrades to their equipment.
Fire Chief Randy Love says of the 20 total airpacks, some are over 20 years-old and the newer ones are 2003 models. Love points out that they’ve been trying for years, through various federal grants, to obtain funding to upgrade the equipment, but they’ve been unsuccessful.
Last month, the Jefferson City Council gave permission to the fire department to apply for grants through the Greene County Community Foundation and Grow Greene County Gaming Corporation. Love notes that they are applying for four airpacks through the Foundation grant and ten airpacks through GGCGC. City Administrator Mike Palmer explains what the Council also did at that same January meeting.
“The Council not only approved to apply for the grants, they also said they would put $10,000 toward up towards matching (for the GGCGC grant). It’s a very important issue. But we want to assure the public (that) by no means are they having dangerous equipment that they are using, this is strictly to upgrade what they have.”
Some of the new features include fireproof lenses in the masks, a visual display of how much air is left and alarms for when air is getting low in the tanks.
Foundation grant recipients will be recognized at a ceremony in late March and for the GGCGC grant recipients will be honored in April.